


Change of Plans

by molstrom



Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: F/M, non-canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:01:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 23,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28641885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/molstrom/pseuds/molstrom
Summary: Beth is a paramedic preparing to go to work when a wounded Juice appears at her door.Set in Season 7, but non-canon as timeline-wise it's the beginning of Season 7 and Jax already knows about Gemma killing Tara.
Relationships: Juice Ortiz/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 14





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Celi1208](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celi1208/gifts).



I’m collecting my things to go to work when there is a knock on the door. I put my bags down on the kitchen counter and walk over to the front door before opening it. Standing on my porch is a man I don’t know. He’s attractive with brown eyes and dark brown hair shaved into a mohawk with tribal tattoos on either side of it. He’s wearing a zipped up black hoodie despite the warm weather and he’s wincing slightly. As I run my eyes over him I notice blood dripping down the fingers on his left hand.   
“You’re bleeding. Come inside.”  
“You’re just going to let a strange man into your house?”  
“That’s what you were hoping for when you came to my door, isn’t it?”  
“Yeah…I guess it was.”

He steps inside and I close the door behind him.  
“The bathroom is the first door on the right. I’ll be right there and we’ll figure out the cause of that blood.”  
“Oh, that’s easy. The cause is the bullet wound in my shoulder.”  
“Oh goody. I’ll be right there.”  
As he walks away I sigh deeply before pulling my phone out of my pocket and dialling my boss’s number while walking into the kitchen.  
“Beth? Shouldn’t you be on your way in?”  
“Karen, an emergency just popped up. I won’t be making it in today.”  
“Is everything okay?”  
“It will be. Thanks, Karen.”  
“No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow?”  
“Yes. I’ll be there for my shift in the morning.”  
“Okay. Bye, Beth.”  
I hang up and put my phone in my pocket before grabbing my work bag and walking towards the bathroom.

When I step into the room, I notice that he’s taken off his hoodie and a leather vest, leaving him in just a t-shirt. I put my bag down and move over to him saying:  
“Here, let me help you. Don’t move your injured shoulder.”  
I gently grab the bottom of his shirt and pull it up and off his non-injured arm and head before carefully easing it down his injured arm.  
“I’m Beth, by the way.”  
“Juice. Thank you for this. You could have just closed the door in my face.”  
“No, I couldn’t have. I’m a paramedic. I couldn’t just send away someone bleeding like you are.”  
“You can’t report this. I can’t go to the hospital.”  
“Yeah. I figured that if going to the hospital was an option you would have done it. Sit on the toilet lid with your back to me.”

He sits down, straddling the toilet before saying:  
“You do know how to do this, right?”  
“Well buddy, I’m your only option right now, so you’d better hope I do.”  
“Fair point.”  
I quickly throw my hair into a ponytail and roll up my sleeves before washing my hands and moving over to him to clean the wound. As I give him a local freezing agent I say:  
“So who shot you?”  
“The president of my club.”  
“What did you do to piss him off so much?”  
“I helped his mother cover up the fact that she murdered his wife.”  
“That would do it.”  
“You’re taking all this in stride.”  
“Do I have a choice?”  
“You could have called the cops.”  
“Yeah, I guess I could have.”  
He turns to look at me and I say:  
“I’m not going to. Sit still, I need to get the bullet out.”  
He turns back around and I say:  
“Even with the local, this is going to hurt. I’m sorry.”  
As I start pulling the bullet out he tenses, so I gently brush my fingers down his arm before starting again.  
“You need to relax. I know it hurts.”  
He takes a deep breath and I pull the bullet out before cleaning the wound again and sewing it up. When I’m done I put a bandage on it and clean the blood off of his back and arm before grabbing a bottle of T3s out of my bag and handing it to him.  
“I’m sorry I don’t have anything stronger. I’ll get you some water.”  
“I need to get on the road.”  
“Where are you going?”  
“I don’t know.”  
I take a deep breath and say:  
“Stay here. They won’t look for you here.”  
“Why would you let me do that?”  
“Your president shot you. I assume that means you can’t go back to the club.”  
“You’re right.”  
“And you don’t know where to go, right?”  
“Right.”  
“So stay here. I have a spare room, I’m not connected to the club or you in any way, they won’t look for you here.”  
“Aren’t you worried about letting a strange man stay in your house?”  
“Nope. You have trustworthy eyes. Am I wrong? Should I be worried?”  
He shakes his head and says:  
“I won’t hurt you. But they might if they find me.”  
“As long as you don’t contact them or do anything stupid, they won’t find you.”  
“My bike is outside.”  
“Then put your hoodie back on and move the bike into the garage. If you go through the kitchen you can open the garage door from inside.”  
“You’re sure about this?”  
“Yeah. Go move your bike. I’ll put sheets on the bed.”  
He puts his hoodie on and leaves the room, then I walk across the hall to the guest room.

By the time he comes back, I have the bed made and I’m digging out clothes that one of my exes left behind so he has something to wear.  
“You really don’t have to fuss over me. I’m okay.”  
“It’s no fuss. These clothes should fit you. Get changed and I’ll put your clothes in the wash.”  
I start to leave the room, but he reaches out and catches my wrist before saying:  
“Thank you, Beth.”  
“You’re welcome, Juice. Get changed.”

I leave the room and quickly clean up the bathroom before wiping up the trail of blood he left through my living room and hallway. Once that’s done, I open the front door and hose down the porch and driveway, making sure all the blood is gone before going back inside and closing the door. He walks into the living room wearing a pair of sweatpants with no shirt as I close the front door so I say:  
“Are you hungry?”  
“No.”  
“Okay. I’ll get you a bottle of water so you can take a couple of pills, then you should rest.”  
“What are you doing today?”  
I start walking to the kitchen as I say:  
“I was supposed to be at work, so since there’s been an unexpected change of plans, I guess I’ll read or watch a movie.”  
“Can I sit with you? I don’t like to be alone.”  
I stop walking and turn to look at him, noticing for the first time that he has a sadness in his eyes as if he’s lost. I sigh and say:  
“I think you should lay down for a while, but we can go into my room and watch a movie if you want.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“You’re gonna have to stop asking that. You’re going to drive me crazy. I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t sure.”  
“Okay.”  
I turn back around and get a couple of bottles of water out of the fridge before saying:  
“Where’d you leave the pills?”  
“Bathroom counter.”  
“Okay. Take these and go get settled in my room. I’ll throw your clothes in the wash and get the pills before I come in.”  
He takes the bottles of water and leaves the room. I follow him down the hallway and collect his clothes from the guest room and bathroom, throwing them in the wash before picking up the pill bottle and walking into my room. 

I sit on the bed next to him and hand him the pill bottle.  
“Take a couple of those.”  
“Yes, ma’am.”  
I shake my head and roll my eyes before saying:  
“Do you have a preference for what we watch?”  
“Nothing violent?”  
“I can do that.”  
I flip through my movie selection and settle on a romantic comedy before pressing play and settling back against my pillows. As we watch the movie he shifts closer to me and falls asleep, throwing his arm over my waist as he snores. I finish watching the movie and then move to get off the bed, but his arm tightens on my waist and he mumbles:  
“Don’t go, Beth. Please.”  
“I’m just going out to the living room. Go back to sleep.”  
He moves his arm off of me and I get up, quietly leaving the room and pulling the door closed behind me.


	2. Two

I put his laundry in the dryer and make myself coffee before curling up on the couch with my book. I read for a few hours, only getting up to refill my coffee cup and use the washroom, then I decide that we need to eat something so I walk into the kitchen and make sandwiches before going to wake him up.

When I walk into my room, he’s sprawled on his back across the bed, so I sit next to him and touch his chest before saying:  
“Juice, you need to eat something.”  
He wakes up with a start, tightly grabbing my wrist as his eyes open. I whimper and say:  
“Juice, you’re safe. Breathe.”  
His fingers loosen before he says:  
“Beth, I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”  
“It’s fine. I’m fine. Come on, get up and eat something.”  
He sits up and pulls my arm towards his face before kissing my wrist.  
“I’m sorry.”  
I inhale sharply and pull my arm away from him before saying:  
“It’s fine. I made sandwiches. Come eat.”  
I stand up and leave the room, walking into the kitchen and sitting at the table before taking a few deep breaths while I wait for Juice.

As he walks into the kitchen and sits down at the table he says:  
“Do you want me to leave?”  
“No. Why would you think that?”  
“I hurt you.”  
“I startled you. It’s fine. You barely bruised me.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Juice, what did I say about asking me that?”  
“Right. Sorry.”  
I shake my head and say:  
“Eat your sandwich.”  
He laughs and says:  
“You’re very bossy you know.”  
“Yes. Eat.”  
We eat quietly for a minute and then I say:  
“How’s your pain?”  
“Pretty bad. But I can handle it.”  
“It’s been long enough, you can take more pills.”  
“No. I’ll be fine.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yeah. What are you doing this afternoon?”  
I shrug and say:  
“What do you want to do? I was supposed to be at work, so I don’t have plans.”

Before he can say anything my phone rings. I look at the caller ID and say:  
“It’s my sister. Just stay quiet, okay?”  
“Yeah, okay.”  
I answer the phone on speaker while I stand up and clear the plates off the table.  
“Althea? Aren’t you working right now?”  
“I could ask you the same thing, Elizabeth Jarry. Why aren’t you at work?”  
As soon as Althea says my name Juice looks worried, so I walk over to him and run my fingers over his scalp reassuringly before saying:  
“I fell out of bed this morning. Wrenched my back.”  
“Are you okay? Do you need me to bring you something?”  
“No. I’m fine. I took a muscle relaxant and a nap and I feel much better now. Don’t worry about me.”  
“I’m your big sister. It’s my job to worry about you.”  
“Well, I’m fine, Lieutenant.”  
“I’ll come over after work.”  
“No, you won’t. I have to work early tomorrow. Go home. Fuck that biker of yours. I love you.”  
“I love you too. Call me if you need anything.”  
“Yes, ma’am.”  
I hang up and Juice pulls me onto his lap before saying:  
“Your sister is the head of the sheriff’s department?”  
“Yeah.”  
“And you’re really going to keep this from her?”  
“Yeah. Can I get up now?”  
“Who is your sister sleeping with?”  
“The Scot. Why?”  
“Chibs.”  
“Sure. Why does it matter?”  
“He might give me a chance. He might help me.”  
“He’s not going to go against the president. You know that. Hell, even I know that and I know nothing about your club.”  
“You’re probably right.”  
“Great. Can I get up now?”  
“Why are you opposed to sitting on my lap?”  
“Because you’re basically a stranger and I’m not a whore. Let me up.”  
He lets go of me and as I stand up he says:  
“I’m sorry.”  
“It’s fine.”

I walk over to the sink and quickly wash the dishes from lunch before walking into the living room and curling up on the couch with my book. He follows me into the room and sits on the coffee table in front of me, pulling my book out of my hands before saying:  
“We should get to know each other.”  
“Sure. But I still won’t sleep with you.”  
He laughs and says:  
“Okay. Why don’t you live in Charming with your sister?”  
“Because I’m a grown woman?”  
“Why Lodi?”  
“Why not Lodi?”  
“Okay, this isn’t going to work if you aren’t going to answer questions.”  
“I work here, so I live here. Why did you become a Son?”  
“Grew up in New York, got in some trouble, fled to California…The club felt like having a family again.”  
“I’m sorry.”  
“I screwed up. More than once. I should have trusted my brothers, and I didn’t.”  
He has tears in his eyes as he says this, so I sit forward and put my hand on his knee before saying:  
“You don’t have to talk about this. Tell me about you. Why is your name Juice?”  
“My name is Juan Carlos. I used to go by JC, but when Chibs started saying it, it sounded like ‘Juice’ and it just kind of stuck.”  
He shifts in his seat and winces so I say:  
“It’s time for more pills and to lay down again. But first I should change your bandage.”  
“I want to keep talking to you.”  
“I’ll come into the bedroom with you until you fall asleep.”  
“So…Just to confirm, you won’t sit on my lap, but you will lie in bed next to me?”  
“Yes.”  
“You make zero sense, woman.”  
“Yeah, well…Let’s go in the bathroom so I can change your bandage.”

I stand up and walk into the bathroom, washing my hands before I get a new bandage out. When he comes in and sits down I remove the old bandage and clean the wound again before putting a new bandage on. I wash my hands again and walk into the bedroom. I’m sitting on the bed when he walks in and takes two pills before lying down and saying:  
“Lie down, Beth.”  
I lay down on my side facing him and say:  
“What do you want to talk about?”  
“Do you want details of what I did to piss off the club so much?”  
“No.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because I don’t want to be afraid of you.”  
“So you’re worried if you know everything you’ll be afraid of me, but you aren’t afraid of me just because?”  
“Don’t try to understand my brain, buddy. I don’t even understand it.”  
He reaches out and tucks some hair behind my ear before saying:  
“Where did you grow up?”  
“All over. My parents divorced when I was a baby and my Mom is a bit of a gypsy, could never stand to be in one place too long. Althea is my half-sister, Dad left her Mom for another woman who he then left for my Mom and then he disappeared on them all. I didn’t meet Althea until I was 18.”  
“And how old are you now?”  
“Twenty. You?”  
“Older than that.”  
“Evasive much?”  
“I’m thirty.”  
“You should consider growing your hair out. You’ll be less instantly recognizable without those tattoos on your head.”  
“That’s quite the subject change.”  
“What did you expect me to say about your age?”  
“I don’t know…Some reaction would be nice.”  
“Okay. You’re old.”  
“Rude.”  
“You asked for a reaction, I gave you a reaction.”  
He just stares at me for a moment until I start laughing and then he rolls his eyes and shifts closer to me on the bed.  
“What are you doing?”  
“I’m going to kiss you, and you’re going to let me.”  
“Oh really? What makes you think that?”  
“The fact that you just bit your lip and moved closer to me.”  
“Oh.”  
He puts his hand on my cheek and leans in, gently bumping his nose against mine before pressing his lips to mine. All I can think about is how soft his lips are and how I want to keep kissing him, so I shift closer to him, pressing my body against his as I run my tongue along his bottom lip, urging him to open to me. When he does I moan against his mouth and we keep kissing and touching until I feel him wince against my mouth and I pull back.  
“I’m sorry.”  
“Don’t apologize for that, Beth. I really liked that. Let’s do it again.”  
“It hurt you.”  
“I can handle it.”  
“Oh, shut up. Lay back.”  
He lays back and I move closer to him, resting my head on his chest and draping my arm over his abdomen.   
“Is this comfortable for you? I’m not hurting you, right?”  
He wraps his arm around my back and gently runs his fingers along my hip before saying:  
“It’s good. I’m comfortable.”  
“Good. Go to sleep.”  
“So bossy.”  
“Yes. If you won’t go to sleep with me here, I will leave.”  
He tightens his arm around me and says:  
“I’ll go to sleep. Don’t leave.”


	3. Three

I must have fallen asleep too, because the next thing I know, my alarm is going off and he’s not in bed. I turn off my alarm and get up before walking out of the bedroom. As I walk into the hallway he walks out of the bathroom wrapping a towel around his waist. When he sees me he grins before kissing me and saying:  
“Good morning, Beth.”  
“Well, you look like you’re feeling a bit better.”  
“I think that was the first good night’s sleep I’ve had in years.”  
“It was the drugs.”  
“No. It was you. I told you, I don’t like to be alone. I don’t do well on my own. I start thinking about my thinking and get lost.”  
“Will you be okay while I’m at work today? I can’t miss another shift.”  
“Are you coming home after?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Then yeah, I’ll be okay.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“I think we both need to retire that question.”  
I laugh and say:  
“You’re probably right. I need to shower and get ready for work. You should get dressed.”  
“Can I join you in the shower?”  
“No. Go get dressed.”

I walk down the hallway and grab my uniform out of my work bag since I won’t have time to get changed at work and then walk into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I quickly shower and get ready before leaving the room and collecting my things for work. 

When I walk into the kitchen I find Juice pouring coffee. I take a cup before he can add sugar or milk and say:  
“So make yourself at home. Don’t go outside and don’t answer the door. I’ll try to grab you some more clothes while I’m out.”  
“Okay.”  
“Sit down. I’ll change your bandage before I leave.”  
He sits on one of the kitchen chairs and I quickly change his bandage. When I move to walk away he pulls me onto his lap. I run my hands over his head and down to his neck before leaning in and kissing him.  
“I have to go to work. Let me up.”  
He lets go of me and I stand up before quickly finishing my coffee and grabbing my things.  
“I’ll be home around 4.”  
“Okay.”

When I get home after work my house is cleaner than I’ve ever seen it. As I walk through the rooms to get to my bedroom I look around in shock. I find Juice lying on my bed watching a movie, so I say:  
“The house wasn’t dirty when I left this morning, but I’ve never seen it this clean.”  
“I like things organized. It helps me keep my thoughts straight.”  
“When I open my closet and dresser am I going to find that you’ve re-organized my clothes?”  
“Yes. I didn’t touch your underwear though.”  
“Smart man.”  
I open dresser drawers until I have leggings and a t-shirt, then I walk into the bathroom to shower and change out of my work clothes. I don’t realize until I’m ready to wash my hair that my shampoo, conditioner, and body wash are all missing from the shower stall. I open the shower door and yell:  
“Juice!”  
He opens the bathroom door and says:  
“What? What’s wrong?”  
“Where are my shower products?”  
“Under the sink. I’ll get them for you.”  
He gets the bottles out and brings them to me, running his eyes over me as he does.  
“In the future, leave my shower products in the shower.”  
“But…”  
“No. Leave them in the shower.”  
“But…it makes more sense for them to be stored under the sink.”  
“Juice, leave them in the shower.”  
“Fine.”  
“Thank you. Now get out.”  
“Do I have to? I could join you.”  
“Get out.”  
He nods and leaves the room. I finish showering and get dressed before walking out of the bathroom. 

When I step into the hallway I smell something wonderful coming from the kitchen, so I walk in that direction. As I walk into the kitchen, Juice is standing at the stove cooking, so I walk up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist.  
“You’re making dinner.”  
“Yes, I am.”  
“What are you making? It smells really good.”  
“Stir-fry. Are you a vegetarian?”  
“What was your first hint? The complete lack of meat in the house?”  
“Yeah, that was a bit of a hint.”  
“Is that a problem?”  
“No. Not at all.”  
I step away from him and get our plates before getting us water and setting it on the table.

When we’re sitting down and eating, he says:  
“I’ll leave tomorrow, okay? I don’t want to impose longer than I need to.”  
“Where will you go?”  
“I don’t know.”  
“Why don’t you stay until you figure out where you’re going to go?”  
“I kind of thought you’d want me gone.”  
“Not really.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yeah. I am.”  
“Okay, then I’ll stay.”  
“Okay. Good.”  
We finish eating and I wash the dishes before saying:  
“How’s your shoulder?”  
“It’s fine. I mean, it hurts, but it’s okay.”  
“Any oozing or bleeding today?”  
“No.”  
“Good.”  
“What are your plans tonight?”  
“A feel-good movie and a glass of wine. It was a rough day.”  
“You’re underage.”  
“Yeah, I am. Are you going to tell on me? Althea’s number is on speed-dial.”  
“No. Sorry. What happened today?”  
“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Before he can say anything else my phone rings. I sigh when I see that it’s Althea and answer it on speaker.  
“Hi, Al.”  
“Lizzie, are you okay after today?”  
“Fine. I just want to have a glass of wine, watch a comedy, and go to bed.”  
“Lizzie…”  
“Althea. I don’t want to talk about it.”  
“But I’m sure it brought back memories. I’m sorry. I hoped it wouldn’t be you they called in.”  
“I’m fine, Althea.”  
“Okay. Call me if you aren’t.”  
“I will. Love you.”  
I hang up and turn off my phone before plugging it into the charger. When I look at Juice I see the questions on his face and say:  
“No. I don’t want to talk about it. Leave it alone.”

I pour myself a glass of wine and walk into my bedroom before sitting on the bed and choosing a movie. Before I can press play, Juice walks into the room and takes the remote out of my hand.  
“What?”  
“Talk to me.”  
“It’s not something I want to discuss.”  
“I can’t help if you won’t talk to me.”  
“Juice…I don’t need you to help. I need you to let it go so I can stop thinking about it. Please.”  
“Tell me one thing from today. Just one thing.”  
“I saw your brothers. Well, Chibs and the president.”  
“Were they hurt?”  
“No.”  
“Well, where did you see them?”  
“You said one thing. I told you one thing.”  
“Please expand on the one thing.”  
“There was an attack at Diosa Norte. All the girls are dead.”  
“All of them?”  
“Yeah. One was alive when we got there, but I lost her en route to the hospital.”  
“What was Althea worried about you remembering?”  
“We’re not talking about that. Give me my remote.”  
“Beth…”  
“Juice, I don’t want to talk. Please just let me drink my wine, watch my movie, and go to sleep. You’re welcome to use the TV in the living room.”  
“I can’t watch the movie with you?”  
“Not tonight.”  
“Can I sleep in here with you?”  
“No. Sleep in the guest room tonight. Please.”  
He hands me the remote and kisses my forehead before leaving the room and pulling the door almost shut behind him. I press play and watch the movie while I drink my wine. When the movie is over I curl up under the blankets and go to sleep.


	4. Four

I wake up screaming for my mother and Juice comes running into the room. He sits on the bed and pulls me into his arms, rubbing my back as he says:  
“Shhh…Beth. It’s okay. It was just a dream. It’s okay.”  
“It wasn’t a dream. It was a memory.”  
“Do you want to talk about it?”  
“No. Can you just hold me?”  
“Can I sleep in here?”  
“Yes. Please.”  
He moves so he’s lying on the bed next to me and pulls the blankets over us. When he opens his arms I move into them, resting my head on his shoulder and pressing my face into him. He wraps both arms around me and rubs my back as he says:  
“Tell me, sweetheart.”  
“When I was ten my mom was working as an escort. The babysitter cancelled one night so mom had to take me with her to a job. She brought me into the kitchen and sat me on the floor of the pantry. She told me to stay there no matter what and she’d come to get me when it was time to go home.”

He’s just silently rubbing my back as I talk, so I continue:  
“I was asleep when I was startled awake by gunshots and screams. I stayed as quiet as I could, afraid that whoever was out there would find me. It was quiet for a long time before the door opened and a police officer told me to close my eyes before he picked me up.”  
I’m crying again and Juice silently wipes my tears off of my face before saying:  
“Did you open your eyes again, baby?”  
“Once I was in his arms. I was curious. I saw my mom on the kitchen floor with a trail of blood behind her. The police thought she used her final moments to try to drag herself to me. I ended up in foster care after that. But I was traumatized and was apparently difficult, so I bounced around from home to home until I finally ran away at 15.”  
“How did you support yourself at 15?”  
“I worked two waitressing jobs while getting my GED and then while taking night school classes to become a paramedic. Then I worked as an on-call paramedic as well as my two waitressing jobs until I became full-time here. It’s only the past…six months or so that I’ve only had one job.”  
“And today at Diosa reminded you of that night.”  
“Yeah. It did.”  
“I’m sorry sweetheart.”  
I move closer to him, pressing my face against his neck and inhaling deeply before quickly falling back asleep. 

When I wake up in the morning I’m still pressed up against him and he’s awake and rubbing my back. As he notices that I’m awake he says:  
“How did you sleep, baby?”  
“Once I stopped being stupid and let you sleep in here? Great. How about you?”  
“Really well. I’m slightly uncomfortable right now though.”  
I try to move back from him as I say:  
“I’m sorry. Am I hurting you?”  
“Only a little. I’m okay. Don’t leave.”  
“I wasn’t going to leave, just move over a bit so you can change how you’re laying. I don’t want to hurt you.”  
“Well, I don’t want you to move unless it’s to tilt your head up so I can kiss you.”  
“I thought I was the bossy one.”  
He laughs and says:  
“Do you have to work today?”  
“Overnight tonight.”  
“Oh. So you won’t be home tonight?”  
“No, but I do have to take a nap this afternoon.”  
“Can I nap with you?”  
“Yeah. Will you be okay here overnight without me?”  
“Can I sleep in here?”  
“Yeah, you can.”  
“And what time are you off?”  
“Four in the morning. But then I have the next few days off.”  
“Maybe I’ll just stay up until you get home.”  
“Sure. If you want.”

We’re lying there quietly when there’s a loud knock on the front door.  
“I have to go get that, it’s probably Althea. Stay in here and stay quiet no matter who you hear…Especially if she brought Chibs.”  
“Yeah. I’ll be here.”  
As I’m sitting up I lean down and quickly kiss him before leaving the room and closing the door behind me. 

When I get to the living room I open the front door and Althea and Chibs walk in.  
“Come on in guys. I wasn’t sleeping or anything.”  
Althea looks around and spots Juice’s boots. She looks at me and raises an eyebrow before saying:  
“You have a guy here.”  
“I am a grown-up, Al. I have needs.”  
“Don’t you have to work today?”  
“I have a graveyard shift tonight.”  
I look at Chibs and he’s staring at Juice’s boots.  
“What, Chibs?”  
“I recognize those boots.”  
“They’re just boots, Chibs.”  
He looks at me and slightly shakes his head before saying:  
“Jarry, let’s let your sister get some sleep before her shift.”  
“Yeah, alright. I need to get back to work anyway. Behave yourself, Elizabeth.”  
“I always do.”  
Chibs kisses Althea on the cheek and says:  
“I’m just going to use the washroom and then head out. Go ahead without me.”  
Althea nods and says:  
“Okay. I’ll see you later. Bye, Elizabeth.”  
“Bye, Althea.”

She leaves the house and Chibs looks at me before saying:  
“Where is he?”  
“He who, Chibs?”  
“Juice. Where is he?”  
“I don’t know who you are talking about.”  
“Beth…He’s not safe for you to be around.”  
“Honestly, Chibs. I don’t know who you are talking about.”  
“He’s a rat, Elizabeth. He betrayed the club. He helped to cover up the queen’s murder. What happened at Diosa is his fault.”  
“I don’t know who you’re talking about. I’m tired, Chibs. Can you go please?”  
“Kick him out, Elizabeth. I don’t want you to get caught in the middle of us trying to take him back.”  
“I don’t know who you are talking about.”  
“Fine, Elizabeth. Be that way.”  
He leaves the house and I lock the door behind him before walking down the hallway to my room.


	5. Five

As I open the door I say:  
“It’s just me.”  
Juice is sitting on the bed looking worried when I walk in, so I walk over to him and sit on his lap. Putting my hands on his neck before pressing my forehead to his and saying:  
“Chibs recognized your boots. He didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t know who he was talking about. You aren’t safe here.”  
“I’m not leaving you.”  
“You’ve known me for two days…Go, Juice.”  
“Come with me.”  
“And do what? Just quit my job? Where would we go?”  
“I can’t leave the country, but I can leave the state. We could go to Hawaii.”  
“Chibs said that you’re a rat.”  
“Kind of. I didn’t get anything for it though. I was lied to.”  
“He also said that what happened at Diosa was your fault.”  
He sighs and says:  
“So it was the Chinese?”  
“I have no idea. He just said it was your fault.”  
He leans in and kisses me before saying:  
“Come with me. Quit your job and come with me.”  
“Fine. But we’re going to need Althea’s help.”  
“She’s dating Chibs.”  
“She’s fucking Chibs. She’s not going to let them murder you.”  
“I’ll have to give her something.”  
“Tell her what happened to the president’s wife.”  
“I can’t.”  
“Why?”  
“Because part of me covering it up involved me shooting the previous sheriff in the back.”  
“You’re the one who killed Eli?”  
“Yeah.”  
I take a deep breath and move off his lap, backing across the room until I hit the wall and then sliding down to sit on the floor.  
“Your sister didn’t know him though, right?”  
“No. But I did. He was a good guy.”  
“Yeah. He was. I couldn’t let him arrest Gemma.”  
He moves across the room towards me and I hold up a hand in front of me, saying:  
“I need a minute. Please don’t touch me.”  
“Beth…I’m sorry about Eli, I am. He was a good guy. I hated killing him. Please, don’t be afraid of me.”  
“I’m not. I’m pissed at you.”  
“What can I do?”  
“I don’t know.”

I’m quiet for a minute and then say:  
“Do you have money for us to run? Because I only have a little saved.”  
“I have money. It’s just at the pot store I own a share of. The guys will be watching it.”  
“So we get Althea to go.”  
“Okay. Call your sister.”  
“Don’t give her anything.”  
“Babe, she’s your sister.”  
“If you go to prison, they will have you killed.”  
“You’re not wrong.”  
“Come here.”  
He kneels in front of me and I pull him close to me before kissing him deeply.   
“I’ll call my boss and Althea.”  
“You’re sure?”  
“Yeah. This is insane, but I’m sure.”  
I kiss him again and then get up and walk to the kitchen to get my phone. I turn it on and dial Althea’s cell number.  
“Elizabeth?”  
“I need you to come over. Please.”  
“Now? I just left.”  
“Now. Without Chibs.”  
“I’ll be right there.”  
I hang up and dial my boss’s number.  
“Hey, Beth. I expected you to be sleeping. What’s going on?”  
“Hi, Karen. I hate to do this, but I have to travel out of town for an extended period of time, so I have to quit.”  
“Effective immediately?”  
“Yes. I’m sorry.”  
“It’s okay, Beth. Thank you for calling.”  
I hang up and go back to the bedroom. 

He’s sitting on the bed again when I walk into the room.  
“You’re sure that you can travel across state lines?”  
“Yes.”  
“Can the Sons get to you in Hawaii?”  
“There’s no charter there, but I guess if they really want to, they can hire a bounty hunter.”  
“Would they?”  
“Depends on how pissed Jax is.”  
“Do you think he’s pissed enough to do it?”  
“I don’t know, baby.”

There’s a knock on the door, so I go to answer it. When I open it, Althea walks in and says:  
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”  
“I need your help.”  
“With what?”  
Juice walks into the room and says:  
“Me.”  
Althea shakes her head and says:  
“Juan Carlos Ortiz. What are you doing with my sister?”  
“I got shot the other day. Showed up at her house because her lights were on. I’m sorry, Lieutenant Jarry. I didn’t know she was your sister.”  
Althea sighs and says:  
“How can I help?”  
I reach for her hand and say:  
“We’re leaving town. The state, actually. I need your help to get Juice’s money from the pot store, and to lead Chibs in the wrong direction.”  
“Why would I help?”  
“They want to kill him, Althea.”  
“Why are you going with him?”  
“I have no idea. There’s no logical reason for me to go, but I want to. I want to be with him.”  
“You just met him!”  
“I know.”  
“Elizabeth, I don’t think you should go.”  
“I know. But you’re going to help us anyway, right?”  
“Yes. So I need to go to the pot store and get the cash?”  
“Yes.”  
“Then I need to lie to the guy I’m fucking so the club doesn’t kill the guy you’re fucking.”  
“Yes, except for the me fucking him part.”  
“Seriously? You’re throwing your life away for a guy you aren’t even fucking?”  
“Yeah. I guess I am. Will you help us?”  
“Yeah. I guess I will. Where is the money and how much is there?”

Juice steps forward and says:  
“It’s in the employee bathroom above the ceiling. The third tile from the door is loose. There’s a duffel bag up there.”  
“And how much is there?”  
“$30,000.”  
“That’s not enough to start over. I’ll have to bring more. Where are you going?”  
“Hawaii.”  
“You can’t fly. They’ll be able to trace you.”  
“Well, we can’t take a boat.”  
“You have to go south.”  
“I can’t cross the border.”  
“I can get you across by boat. I have a friend. Hang on.”  
“I don’t even speak Spanish.”  
“Elizabeth does. You can learn.”

I clear my throat and say:  
“What about going to Cuba?”  
Althea looks at me and says:  
“What? Driving to Florida and taking a boat from there to Cuba?”  
“Yeah. We could disappear in Cuba.”  
“Maybe visually, since you got your mom’s skin tone, but…he doesn’t speak Spanish.”  
“We’ll have like a week before we even get to Cuba for me to teach him, and as long as I do all of the talking at the beginning we’ll be fine.”  
“So you’re thinking, what? Havana?”  
“Easier to disappear in a city.”  
“Yeah…Okay. I’ll go get the money and a few more things for you. I’ll bring back a fully fuelled up vehicle for you to take. Pack light and make sure you’re ready when I get back.”  
“Thank you, Althea.”  
“Don’t thank me yet, kiddo.”

She leaves the house and I say:  
“Here to Key West is a six or seven-day drive depending on how far we get each day. Are we going to run into other Sons charters?”  
“Tucson has one, so does Phoenix.”  
“So we cross Arizona to the North and hope for the best.”  
“Are you sure about this, Beth? I can go on my own.”  
I roll my eyes and say:  
“We should stay to the North in New Mexico and Texas too. Just drive straight across and head South when we hit Atlanta.”  
“Beth…you don’t have to give up your whole life for me.”  
“Do you want to go alone?”  
“No.”  
“Then I’m coming with you. Shut up.”  
“We should get dressed and pack.”  
“Your tattoos make you too goddamn recognizable.”  
“I’ll wear my hoodie and a hat until my hair grows out.”  
“I guess that’ll have to do.”

I start to walk past him to get to the bathroom to shower before getting dressed and he reaches out and grabs my hand. He sighs and says:  
“You’re shaking, Beth.”  
“I’m scared.”  
“Of me?”  
“No. Of leaving, of them finding us, of them killing you.”  
“How can I help?”  
“I don’t know. Let’s just get ready to go. I’ll be better once we’re on the road.”  
“You can still choose to not come, baby.”  
“Oh shut up. I need to shower, let go of me.”  
“Can I join you?”  
“Fine. But no touching. We don’t have time for that.”  
“Did you just say yes? I really expected another no.”  
I roll my eyes and walk away, heading to the bathroom and stepping into the shower. I’m about to start washing my hair when he steps in after me and says:  
“Is this really okay?”  
“Juice, I am fleeing the country with you. I think I can handle sharing a shower with you.”

We both quickly shower and then step out and go to get dressed. When he picks up his leather vest he says:  
“I guess I need to leave my kutte here. I’m not a Son anymore.”  
“It’s probably safer to not bring it with us, yeah, but if you want you can pack it.”  
“No. I’ll give it to Althea to give to Chibs.”  
I put my hand on his chest and say:  
“Are you sure?”  
“Didn’t we say we were going to retire that phrase?”  
“Juice.”  
“Yeah, I’m sure. If someone sees it they’ll realize I’m SAMCRO and it could get back to Jax. I don’t want to put you at risk.”  
“Darling, you put me at risk as soon as you came to my door.”  
“I guess that’s true. I’m sorry.”  
“Don’t be sorry. I’m fine. Get dressed so we can pack before Althea gets back.”  
“Yeah…Okay.”  
We both quickly get dressed and pack bags. I have two and he just has his backpack since he doesn’t have much. Once our things are packed, I move everything out of my closet and open a panel in the wall. From the open panel, I pull out a bag and throw it on the floor behind me before closing the panel back up and putting everything back into the closet.

Juice picks up the bag and opens it before saying:  
“How much is here?”  
“$50,000 or so.”  
“Why is it Canadian?”  
“Because I was planning on moving to Canada at some point, so I got the money exchanged before I put it away.”  
“Can we spend Canadian money in Cuba?”  
“Considering Canadians make up most of their tourism? Yes, dear. We can’t spend American there, but we can spend that on our way to Cuba and get whatever’s left exchanged before we go.”  
He’s still rummaging through the bag when he says:  
“What is this?”  
He pulls out a ziplock bag with ID and a passport in it and holds it up.  
“You know how I told you my dad disappeared on all of his ex-wives?”  
“Yeah?”  
“That wasn’t entirely accurate. He beat my mom, so my mom took me and left. When we left she got new ID for us, changed our names. That’s the name I went into the foster system with. That’s the name I got my driver’s licence under. It wasn’t until I met Althea that I realized my legal name is actually Jarry. I put my old ID away in case I needed it.”  
“It’s still valid?”  
“Yeah.”  
“So we can use that when checking in to hotels? The guys will be looking for Elizabeth Jarry, not…”  
He pulls my driver’s licence out and says:  
“Margaret Elizabeth Corness.”  
“Yeah. It should keep us off their radar for a while.”


	6. Six

By the time Althea gets back we’re completely packed and ready to go. She walks into the house, hands me a set of keys and says:  
“It’s full of gas. It belongs to a friend, so be nice to it. He’ll wait three weeks to report it stolen. Don’t dawdle on your way to Florida. Give me your ID and credit cards, Elizabeth.”

I hand her all my ID that says ‘Elizabeth Jarry’ on it and she says:  
“You still have your other ID, right?”  
“Yeah. It’s in my wallet already.”  
“Good. Don’t use Juice’s ID for anything. I’m sure they’ll have people looking for him. I will book a flight to Hawaii for the two of you and hopefully, that’ll throw them off for a while.”  
“Thank you, Althea.”  
“I put a phone call in to a friend and bought you some time to leave town. You need to go now though. Juice’s money and some more clothes for him are in the car.”

Juice picks up our bags and walks out to the car while I hug Althea.  
“I love you, big sister.”  
“Pick up a prepaid on the way and call me with updates.”  
“Okay. Thank you.”  
“You’re my baby sister. Of course I’m helping. There was no other choice.”  
“I’m sorry, Althea.”  
“Don’t apologize, baby. Maybe at some point, you can come home again.”  
“Doubtful. I love you.”  
I let go of her and hand her my house keys and Juice’s kutte before saying:  
“Give that to Chibs.”  
I kiss her cheek and walk out of the house, sliding into the passenger seat of the car as Juice starts it so we can leave.  
“We need to get as far as possible before stopping.”

He reaches over and squeezes my hand for a moment before backing out of the driveway.  
“I know, babe. Just relax. You’ll have to drive later.”  
I get comfortable in my seat, leaning the side of my head against the headrest so I can watch him drive.   
“Are you just going to watch me the whole time I’m driving, Beth?”  
“No. I’ll probably fall asleep at some point.”  
“Why don’t you look out the window?”  
“You’re prettier than the scenery.”  
“That’s ridiculous.”  
“He says with a giant grin on his face.”  
“You want some music, babe?”  
“Yeah. Dealer’s choice.”  
He puts on a 90’s hip-hop station and I watch fondly as he starts rapping along with the words. 

He drives for the next three hours until I say:  
“If we don’t stop soon I’m going to pee my pants.”  
He just glances at me and laughs before saying:  
“I guess we could use more gas too.”  
“And food? I’m starving.”  
“Yeah. We’re heading into Bakersfield. We’ll grab something to eat at the gas station. I don’t want to stop for long. We aren’t far enough away.”  
“You think we should push all the way into New Mexico before we stop to sleep?”  
“I’d like to, but that’s another like…11 hours? I think we’re going to have take the risk and stop in Flagstaff.”  
“What do you think our chances are of running into Sons there?”  
“Slim, but it’s a possibility. We’ll stay at a reasonable hotel in the middle of the city. Hopefully, that will make it less likely that we see them. Sons tend to stay at the cheap fleabag motels on the edge of town.”  
“When we get to the gas station, one of us should stay with the car. We have a lot of cash here. I’ll go to the restroom and get snacks and pay for gas, then while I’m pumping the gas you can use the restroom.”  
“I can do all that stuff, love.”  
“We’re still too close. We need to keep you off security cameras as much as possible.”  
“Yeah, you’re right.”

He pulls into the first gas station we come to and I say:  
“Put your hat on.”  
After he parks at a pump he puts his hat on and I grab some cash from the bag.  
“I’ll be right back.”  
I use the washroom and then buy some snacks before paying for gas and heading back outside. When I get back to the car he’s leaning against the passenger door talking to a little old lady. I hand him the bag of snacks and start to pump the gas while the old lady says:  
“Your husband is very sweet, dear.”  
I look at Juice and wink before saying:  
“He certainly has his moments, ma’am.”  
“I was all turned around trying to get to Oakland and he has pointed me in the right direction.”  
“Well, I’m glad he managed to help you.”  
“You two have a nice day.”  
“You too, ma’am.”  
Once she walks away I say:  
“Go use the washroom. I’m almost done here.”  
“You didn’t even hesitate when she called me your husband.”  
“What? I was supposed to correct her? It’s just easier to go with it.”  
He grins at me and then quickly kisses me before walking away. I finish pumping the gas and get in the car. When he gets back I’m adjusting the seat and mirrors. 

He opens our bottles of water and puts them in the cupholder before saying:  
“Do you want something to eat now?”  
“Yeah. There should be a couple of apples. I’ll take one of those.”  
He hands me my apple as I pull out of the gas station and then takes one for himself. As he settles back into his seat he takes a bite of apple and says:  
“What’s your favourite colour?”  
“Really? Out of all the things you could ask, that’s what you’re going with?”  
“We’re fleeing the country together, baby. I should know things about you. What’s your favourite colour?”  
“Red. But like, bright red, not blood red. You?”  
“Light green.”  
I glance at him and say:  
“Really?”  
“Yeah, really. The black just hides blood better.”  
“Ugh. Favourite book?”  
“Can’t choose.”  
“You can’t choose? Nothing just pops in your head? Even from when you were a kid?”  
“No. Can you choose?”  
“I don’t have a favourite…I read everything. But when I was a kid my favourite was a toss-up between Brave New World and Hatchet.”  
“Those are very different books.”  
“Yeah. One of my foster fathers was a big reader and insisted I finish a book every two days. I read a lot during the few months I was with them.”  
“Favourite movie?”  
“You can’t judge me.”  
“Oh…now I’m really curious, Elizabeth. What’s your favourite movie?”  
“Demolition Man.”

He laughs and says:  
“Really?”  
“Yes. Why? What’s yours?”  
“No…You’ll laugh at me.”  
“Juan Carlos! I told you, now you have to tell me.”  
“Promise you won’t laugh?”  
“I promise.”  
“When Harry Met Sally.”  
“Really? The tough biker likes romantic comedies?”  
“I can see you trying not to laugh, brat.”  
“But I’m not laughing. I’m working really hard to not laugh.”  
“You like romantic comedies!”  
“I do…but I’m a chick. There’s a reason they’re called chick flicks, babe.”  
“Whatever. It makes me happy.”  
“Well then, once we get settled we’ll have to make sure to get a copy.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Of course. I’d be perfectly happy to curl up in bed with you and watch movies.”

He reaches over and rests his hand on my thigh before saying:  
“I’m really glad I ended up at your door.”  
“Yeah…Me too. Get some sleep, babe. You have to drive again in a few hours.”  
“You sure? I don’t mind keeping you company.”  
“Close your eyes for a while, Juice. I’ll turn on some music. I’ll be fine.”  
He finishes his apple and takes the core of mine and puts them both in the garbage bag before saying:  
“Are you sure?”  
“What did we say about that question?”  
“Right…Okay.”  
As he closes his eyes I fiddle with the radio until I find a country station. I sing along quietly until he starts loudly snoring, then I turn up the music and sing louder.


	7. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted at the same time as chapter six. Make sure you read that one first.

I drive for the next few hours and wake him up as I pull into a gas station.  
“Juice? Sweetheart? We’re stopping.”  
“Are we still in California?”  
“Barely? We’re in Needles.”  
“I’ll go into the store and pump gas this time.”  
I look at him and open my mouth to argue but he says:  
“It’s okay, Elizabeth. It’s a short stop and I have my hoodie and hat. Everything will be fine. Go to the washroom then I’ll go inside.”  
“Okay.”  
I get out of the car and go to the washroom. When I’m walking back towards him I see him talking to a man next to a motorcycle. A man wearing a Sons of Anarchy kutte. When I get to them I slide my hand into Juice’s and he squeezes it before saying:  
“Beth, this is Jury. He runs the Indian Hills, Nevada charter.”  
I look at the man and take a shaky breath before saying:  
“You’re pretty far from Indian Hills.”  
He nods and says:  
“We had a death in the family.”  
“Are you going to tell Jax about Juice?”  
“No. The death in the family was my son. Jax had him killed. I won’t help him kill Juice. As far as I’m concerned I never saw you.”  
“Thank you.”

Juice squeezes my hand again as he nods and says:  
“Thank you, Jury.”  
“No problem, kid.”  
Jury gets on his bike and rides away before Juice says:  
“It’s okay, Beth. I trust Jury.”  
“I don’t. We need to get gas and get out of here. Now.”  
“Okay, baby. Go wait in the car. I’ll get gas.”  
“Yeah…okay.”  
I walk over to the car and curl up in the passenger seat trying not to worry. When Juice gets in I say:  
“Can I have your hoodie?”  
“Are you cold, babe?”  
“No. I just want to smell you and I can’t snuggle into you while you drive, so your hoodie is the next best thing.”  
He grins and pulls his hoodie off, handing it to me as he adjusts his seat and mirrors. By the time he starts the car, I’m curled up in his hoodie with my face pressed into the fabric. He’s still grinning as I watch him so I say:  
“What’s with the shit-eating grin?”  
“You needed comfort and the thing you wanted was me.”  
I shrug and say:  
“You smell good.”  
“That’s not it and you know it.”  
“Oh, shut up and drive.”  
He leans closer to me and says:  
“Come here.”  
I roll my eyes and lean over before kissing him and then saying:  
“Can we go now?”  
“Yes. Everything will be alright, Beth. I promise.”  
“I’ll feel better once we get to New Mexico.”  
“We’re stopping for the night in Flagstaff, right?”  
“Yeah. That’ll be our next stop. It’s only 3 hours or so from here.”  
“Okay.”

We drive in silence with just the radio going for a while and then he says:  
“You can still change your mind you know.”  
“Are you going to do this the whole way to Cuba? I’m here. I’m with you. I’m not changing my mind.”  
“What are we going to do in Cuba?”  
“We’ll figure it out.”  
He goes quiet again and I just watch him drive while listening to the music. I must fall asleep because the next thing I know we’re in the parking lot of a hotel and Juice is outside the car, leaning over me.  
“Are we in Flagstaff already?”  
“Yup. I need my hoodie, love. I’ll get the bags, you go check-in.”  
“Okay.”  
I hand him his hoodie and then get out of the car, taking my purse with me. 

I go inside and by the time Juice comes in with the bags I’ve checked us in and have our room key. I take a couple of the bags from him and take his hand in mine, interlacing our fingers as I lead him to the elevator. When we get to the room we put down the bags and he says:  
“Are you hungry?”  
“Yeah. Do you think anyone delivers here?”  
“We passed a vegan restaurant on our way here. I’ll go pick up some dinner.”  
“I don’t know how I feel about you leaving.”  
“Sweetheart, take a shower, put on your pyjamas, and by the time you’re done I’ll be back with dinner.”  
“Maybe I should go and you should stay here.”  
“Elizabeth, everything will be fine. I’ll be right back.”  
I take a deep breath and say:  
“Okay.”  
He grins at me and puts his hand on my cheek before leaning in to kiss me. I sigh against his mouth and wrap my arms around his neck as he walks me backwards until I’m against the wall. He runs his hands down my body until he’s gripping my hips and then he pulls me against himself. I tighten my arms around his neck and run my fingers over his head, moaning against his mouth as he deepens the kiss and tries to pull me closer.

After a few minutes I push gently on his chest and say:  
“Feed me first, buddy.”  
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”  
I hand him the room key and say:  
“You might need that.”  
He winks at me and leaves the room, taking some cash with him.

Once he’s gone I dig through my bags until I find my pyjamas then I walk into the bathroom to shower. I’m getting dressed when I hear the room door open and Juice say:  
“I’m back.”  
“I’ll be right out.”  
I finish getting dressed and walk out to the main room. He’s sitting at the table with our food in front of him.   
“It’s nothing exciting, just veggie burgers and fries. I’m going to go get changed before I eat.”  
“Okay. Are the burgers the same?”  
“Yup.”

As we walk past each other to get to the opposite ends of the room I reach out and run my fingers across his abdomen. When I’m about to lift my hand off of him, he stops and kisses me before continuing to his bag of clothes. I sit down at the table and start eating dinner while he gets changed and by the time he joins me I’m almost done with my food.  
“You weren’t kidding about being hungry.”  
“All I’d eaten today was an apple. Yeah, I was hungry.”  
“Shit. You’re right. We really need to do better about eating.”  
“Things will be more relaxed once we’re away from the areas where there are charters.”  
When we’re finished eating he says:  
“I picked up a prepaid at the gas station earlier. You should call Althea.”  
“I’ll call her from the road tomorrow. It’s just too much tonight. Can we just cuddle and watch something on tv?”  
“Yeah. You go get ready for bed, I’ll clean this up.”  
“I should change your bandage.”  
“It’s fine. You can change it in the morning after I shower.”  
“You sure?”  
“Yeah. Go.”

I put the do not disturb sign on the door and turn the lock to keep keys from being used before going into the washroom and getting ready for bed. When I’m done, Juice walks into the bathroom to brush his teeth.  
“Go find something to watch. I’ll be right there.”  
I climb into bed and start flipping through channels. When I see that one of them is playing When Harry Met Sally I grin and put the remote down. As he comes out of the bathroom he turns off the lights and climbs into bed next to me, wrapping his arms around me so I can rest my head on his chest.   
“You sure this is what you want to watch?”  
“It’s your favourite…Besides, I’m so exhausted I’m probably going to fall asleep really quickly.”  
“Okay.”

We quietly watch for a few minutes and then I say:  
“Is it weird that I’ve only known you a couple of days and I already can’t bear the thought of sleeping without you?”  
“Nope.”  
“Really?”  
“If we had started our relationship under normal circumstances, yeah, it’d be weird. But we didn’t. We went from strangers to living together to fleeing the country together overnight. The normal rules don’t apply.”  
I shift how I’m lying so I can kiss him and then I snuggle back against his chest. I’m almost asleep when he says:  
“I think we should head south sooner than Atlanta. We should go to New Orleans. Spend two nights there since we’re not going to get to come back to the states to ever go there in the future.”  
“Okay. So where is our next stop?”  
“Think we can drive for about 12 hours tomorrow?”  
“Between the two of us? Yeah.”  
“So then we should be able to make it to Wichita Falls, Texas.”  
“Okay. Sounds good.”  
I yawn loudly and he laughs before saying:  
“Go to sleep, Beth.”


	8. Eight

When I wake up in the morning it’s still dark outside and Juice is still snoring next to me. I shift so I can kiss him before getting out of bed and going to shower. He’s still sleeping when I’m done getting dressed so I leave a note on my pillow saying that I’m going to find breakfast.

After successfully finding breakfast I get back to the hotel and let myself into the room. When I walk inside, he’s pacing in front of the bed.  
“Juice? Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”  
“I woke up and you were gone.”  
“I left a note, love. Everything’s fine.”  
“I was worried you weren’t going to come back.”  
I look at him and sigh before walking over to the table and putting the food down. Once my hands are free I walk over to him and put my hands on his chest, pushing him back until he’s sitting on the bed. I straddle him, sitting on his lap and pressing my forehead against his before saying:  
“Listen to me, Juan Carlos. If I was leaving and not coming back, you would know it. I will never just leave you without talking about it, and I will never leave while you are sleeping. Do you understand me?”  
“Yes. I’m sorry, I just don’t do well on my own and I panicked when you were gone.”  
“I’m sorry. I won’t leave while you’re sleeping again, okay? I’m not going anywhere, Juice.”  
“You need to know everything I’ve done…before we go to Cuba. You need to have the option of leaving.”  
“Fine. Can we eat while you tell me?”  
“Yeah.”  
Before I move off of his lap I lean in and kiss him. When we pull apart he says:  
“You’re not going to want to kiss me anymore when you hear everything.”  
“Try me. Come on, let’s eat breakfast and you can tell me.”

Once we’re sitting at the table and eating our breakfast he says:  
“The club has a rule saying no black members are allowed. My father, who has never been in my life, is black. It was never an issue because I never told the club.”  
“So what changed?”  
“Eli approached me. Said he was talking to me on behalf of someone else. That I needed to give them information about the club or they would tell the club about my dad.”  
“Hence the ratting.”  
“Yeah. I gave them a little information, but then they asked me to get a sample of the cocaine we were trafficking.”  
“How’d that go?”  
“Not great. I ended up killing one of my brothers and blaming him for stealing the cocaine because he caught me with it.”  
“And then what?”  
“I tried to kill myself. The branch I tried to hang myself from broke.”  
“Jesus Christ, Juice.”  
“When Jax found out that I was the rat he told me I could earn my place in the club back. He made me kill a woman. You remember the school shooting in Stockton?”  
“Yeah…I do.”  
“Well, he had me kill the mother of the shooter. She was a junkie and he was afraid she’d say something about us providing the gun. He had me shoot her up and then I smothered her.”  
“Oh, Juice.”  
“I struggled with it and ended up overdosing at Diosa. While I was high I told Nero what I had done. Nero told Jax that I admitted killing her. I betrayed my club, my president…”  
“And then his mother killed his wife?”  
“Yeah. I killed Eli and then helped Gemma cover up what she had done. We blamed the Chinese. Jax went nuts.”  
“Which led to what happened at Diosa.”  
“Yeah.”  
“Is that it?”  
“Yeah.”  
He looks down at the table instead of meeting my eyes, so I get up and sit on his lap before kissing him.  
“I’m not going anywhere. You made mistakes. That’s not a reason for me to leave.”  
“Aren’t you upset? Scared of me? Angry with me?”  
“All of the above. But I trust that you won’t hurt me. That you made the choices you thought you needed to make at the time.”  
“I would never hurt you.”  
“Then we’ll be okay.”  
“How? How can you trust me after hearing all that?”  
“Juice…We’re in this together. For better or worse, even if I wanted to leave you, I couldn’t go home.”  
“So what you’re saying is you’re stuck with me.”  
“No. What I’m saying is that I chose to come with you. I chose you. I could have stayed at home. I came with you because I want to be with you. I am not stuck with you. I am choosing to be here, to be with you.”

He puts his hand on my cheek and kisses me, tangling his other hand in my hair as he does. When he tries to deepen the kiss I pull back and he looks hurt, so I say:  
“As much as I’d like to continue that, and I’d really like to continue it, we need to get on the road. We have a long day ahead of us.”  
“Right. Yeah. Later then?”  
“Yes. Please.”  
We clean up our breakfast stuff and grab our bags before leaving the room. I check out as Juice heads to the car and when I get out there he’s sitting in the driver’s seat. I get in the passenger’s seat and he hands me his hoodie saying:  
“Here, get some more sleep.”  
I smile at him as I curl up under his hoodie and I’m asleep before we get to the interstate.

After two stops and a driving shift for me, he’s driving again so I pull out the prepaid phone he bought and dial Althea’s number.  
“Althea Jarry.”  
“It’s Beth.”  
“One minute.”  
I hear her talking to someone near her and then her moving and closing a door before I hear water turn on.  
“Where are you?”  
“Somewhere between Albuquerque and Amarillo.”  
“You’re making good time.”  
“Yeah. We ran into a Sons president yesterday.”  
“Who?”  
“Jury? Apparently he’s from Indian Hills.”  
“He’ll tell Jax.”  
“He says he won’t. Do they think we went to Hawaii?”  
“Yeah. They hired a bounty hunter there to look for you. Chibs cried when I gave him Juice’s kutte you know. I think he was holding out hope that Juice would stay and fix things with Jax.”  
“There was no fixing things. Jax would have killed him.”  
“I know. I love you. Call me tomorrow?”  
“Yeah. I love you.”

I hang up and look at Juice.  
“What babe?”  
“They’re looking for us in Hawaii.”  
“So the plan’s working.”  
“For now.”  
“It’s going to keep working, Beth.”  
“I hope so.”  
He reaches over and takes my hand before saying:  
“Relax, love. Everything will be fine.”  
I take a deep breath and smile at him before saying:  
“You’re right. I just need to relax.”  
“I’ll be happy to help you with that later.”  
“That’s a little presumptuous, dear.”  
“I meant I’d run you a bubble bath and give you a massage…Geez, get your mind out of the gutter, woman.”  
I just shake my head and roll my eyes at him.

When we pull into Wichita Falls at the end of my driving shift, Juice is asleep in the passenger seat. There’s a sign for a chain hotel at an exit, so that’s the direction I head in. As we’re driving through town I see a sign for a vegetarian restaurant, so I stop and run in to pick up dinner. When I get back to the car, Juice is awake so I hand him the food as I sit down.  
“I thought it made sense to get dinner before going to the hotel.”  
“I’m not arguing.”

Once we’re at the hotel and checked in we walk up to the room. I open the bathroom door and say:  
“Oh. No bathtub.”  
I hear him put the bags down and then his arms are around my waist and his mouth is against my ear.  
“I think we can probably find another way to help you relax.”  
“Oh yeah? What do you have in mind?”  
He turns me around and before I can really react his mouth is on mine. I sigh against his mouth and deepen the kiss as I wrap my arms around his neck and run my fingers over the back of his head. He slides his hands down to my thighs and picks me up, wrapping my legs around his waist before he walks away from the bathroom and over to the bed. He puts me down next to the bed and I run my hands down his chest to the bottom of his shirt, carefully pulling it off of his body before undoing his belt and pants. 

He steps back from me a bit and in a husky voice says:  
“You’re wearing too many clothes.”  
I pull my shirt and bra off before looking at him and saying:  
“Better?”  
His eyes get dark and he licks his lips as he looks at me before saying:  
“Take the rest off.”  
“So bossy.”  
He growls and says:  
“Elizabeth…”  
I grin at him and quickly take off my pants and panties, stepping out of them as he reaches out and grabs me again. He kisses me and then pushes me back onto the bed. As he takes off his pants and boxers I get comfortable on the bed. When he climbs over me he says:  
“Is this okay, Beth?”  
I lift my head and kiss him before saying:  
“I want you, Juice. Make love to me.”


	9. Nine

Afterwards, we’re lying in bed, curled up around each other, when my stomach growls loudly. We both laugh and he says:  
“We should eat dinner.”  
“Do I have to move to do that? Because I don’t really want to.”  
“Yes, dear. You have to move to eat dinner.”  
“Unfair.”  
“We’ll come back to bed after, but you need to eat.”  
“Fine.”  
I get out of bed and put on my panties and his shirt before walking over to the table. I lean over the table to collect both of our meals and I hear him groan behind me and then his arms are around my waist and he’s pulling me tight against himself.  
“Can you sleep in this from now on?”  
“I could…I mean, I was planning on sleeping naked, but if you’d rather this…”  
“Nope. Don’t listen to me, I’m clearly crazy. I vote naked.”  
He sits down in one of the chairs and pulls me down with him so I end up on his lap.  
“We need to eat dinner, Juice.”  
“And we will, but you are going to sit right here while we do.”  
“Wouldn’t it be easier to eat without me on your lap?”  
“Yup. Don’t you dare move.”  
“You are so bossy.”  
I lean back against him and start to eat my now very cold dinner. 

When I’m done my dinner I stand up and he says:  
“Where are you going?”  
“To get ready for bed. Finish your dinner.”  
I walk into the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth and when I come back out he’s still eating his dinner, but he’s holding the prepaid phone.  
“What are you thinking, babe?”  
“Maybe Chibs could help me. Maybe we don’t have to leave.”  
“I’m not going to stop you if you want to call Chibs, but…I don’t think he can help. Your president wants you dead. He shot you. If you call Chibs, you cannot tell him where we are. They will kill us both, Juice.”  
“No. I’ll talk to Chibs. Even if they kill me they won’t touch you.”  
“Juice, think this through. We ran because the club wants you dead. I would really prefer you to stay alive. I think calling Chibs is a bad idea.”  
“I know. Go to bed, baby. I’ll be right back.”  
He stands up and puts his jeans and hoodie on before grabbing the room key and walking towards the door.  
“Juice. Please don’t do this. Don’t call Chibs. Please.”  
“Everything will be fine, Beth. Go to bed.”  
“Yeah, okay.”

Once he leaves the room I lay out clothes for us and put the money to pay for the room in my purse, then I repack the bags so we’re ready to go in the morning. When I’m done I climb into bed and turn on the tv, flipping through the channels until I find something to distract myself from the phone call he’s making.

By the time he comes back into the room I’m halfway through the action movie I’m watching. When I look at him he looks sad so I turn off the movie and say:  
“Come to bed, Juice.”  
He nods and goes into the bathroom. When he comes out he turns off the lights and undresses before climbing into bed and lying down with his head on my chest. I run my fingers over his head and the small amount of stubble that’s there as his hair grows in.  
“What did Chibs say?”  
“That I should stay gone. That Jax wants me dead and since you’re with me he’s okayed killing you too.”  
“That’s not surprising, babe.”  
“Chibs told me if I cared about you we would just keep running. That I wouldn’t call anymore and I wouldn’t let you call Althea anymore.”  
“Do they know we’re not in Hawaii?”  
“Jury told Jax he saw us. Jax knows we’re still in the continental US.”  
“Fuck.”  
“We’re okay, babe. They don’t know where we’re going. Chibs seems to think we’re heading for Mexico.”  
“I don’t think we should risk spending two nights in New Orleans.”  
“You’re probably right, but I wanted to give you that little bit of normal before we go to Cuba.”  
“I’m good, Juice. We’ll figure out a normal for ourselves once we’re settled. And Chibs is right. I can’t call Althea anymore. At least not until we’re safely in Cuba.”  
“I’m sorry, Beth.”  
“Stop apologizing to me. I made my choice knowing full well what it meant. I chose you.”

Before he can respond I yawn loudly. He laughs and says:  
“Let’s go to sleep.”  
“Do we have to? Because I can think of other uses for this bed.”  
“Oh, so can I, but you need sleep, Elizabeth.”  
He moves up in the bed and pulls me into his arms before saying:  
“I’m not going anywhere. You’re going to end up getting sick of having sex with me.”  
“Yeah, that’s highly unlikely.”  
“Go to sleep, Beth.”  
He kisses the top of my head as I snuggle into his chest and fall asleep.

When I wake up in the morning, his head is between my legs and I whimper before saying:  
“I could get used to this.”  
He pulls back a bit to say something and I say:  
“That was not an invitation to stop, Juice.”  
He smirks and shakes his head slightly before putting his mouth against me and continuing his ministrations. 

After we’re finished we shower and get dressed before leaving the room and checking out of the hotel.

The day of driving is uneventful and we get to New Orleans mid-afternoon. We decide to stay at one of the boutique hotels in the French Quarter instead of one of the chains, and after we check in Juice says:  
“Let’s get changed and go out for dinner? We can walk the Quarter afterwards, pretend we’re just tourists.”  
“Sure.”  
I dig through my bags until I find the one dress I brought and head to the bathroom to shower and get ready. When I come out, he’s wearing jeans and a black button-up shirt, slightly open at the neck, with the sleeves rolled up.  
“It’s too hot to wear the sleeves down.”  
“I’m not complaining. That’s a good look for you.”  
“You look fantastic, Beth.”  
The dress I’m wearing is red, tight, and short. It hugs every curve and shows an ample amount of cleavage.   
“You don’t think it’s too much?”  
“Uh…No. I think you look amazing and I can’t wait to take that off of you later.”  
I roll my eyes and put my shoes on and grab my purse before saying:  
“Let’s go.”

Once we’re out on the street he wraps his arm around my waist as we walk along. As we’re walking we’re assaulted by tons of amazing smells coming from restaurants on either side of the street. We pick one at random and walk inside. The whole restaurant has a dark and romantic feel to it, but then they sit us at a cozy corner booth with a candle on the table and the experience becomes even more intimate. 

Juice orders a bottle of wine and as the waitress walks away I look at him in shock.  
“What, Beth?”  
“You know wine?”  
“Jax’s mom, Gemma, taught me some. She got pissed at me one day when she asked for something and I brought her the wrong one. Earned myself wine lessons.”  
I lean over slightly and kiss his cheek before saying:  
“So? What should I order to pair with that wine?”  
He grins and looks at the menu before saying:  
“The grilled portobello dish.”  
“That does look good, yeah. What are you going to have?”  
“Would it upset you if I had the steak?”  
“No. I’m a vegetarian, that doesn’t mean you have to be.”  
“I’m good eating meat-less most of the time, but maybe when we eat out…”  
“It’s fine, babe. Eat whatever, whenever.”  
He grins at me and leans over to kiss me before saying:  
“I think I might love you.”  
“That’s good because you are stuck with me.”

The wine comes and as the waitress pours us each a glass she asks what we’d like to eat. Juice answers for both of us and she nods and leaves the table. I shift closer to Juice and say:  
“I must say, I’m enjoying this take charge side to you.”  
“Yeah? You like that, huh?”  
“Very much so, yeah.”  
He smirks as he puts his hand on my thigh and starts kissing my neck.  
“Don’t get too involved in this, buddy. We are not going straight back to the hotel.”  
“Yes, ma’am.”  
I grin and shake my head before taking a sip of my wine.  
“Oh. This wine is really good. Well done, babe.”  
He lifts his head and kisses my cheek before saying:  
“I live to serve.”  
“I will be testing that statement later.”  
“I look forward to that.”

Our food comes then and we both take the first few bites of our dishes.  
“This is really good. Do you want a bite?”  
“Sure. I can’t give you a bite of mine though.”  
“I’m okay with that.”  
I get a bite of my mushroom on my fork and feed it to him.  
“That is really good.”  
“Yeah. I should let you choose my meal more often.”  
We take a few more bites and then he says:  
“What are you going to do in Cuba?”  
“I’ll try to get a paramedic job in some capacity. I think all the resorts have medics on staff. What about you?”  
He shrugs and says:  
“I’ve only ever been a criminal.”  
“You’re really good with food. What about getting a job at a resort as a waiter or a chef?”  
“You think I could do that?”  
“Yeah, babe, I do.”  
“Hm…Maybe.”  
“You don’t have to decide right away. We have enough money that we’ll be set for a while in Cuba.”

We finish eating and we polish off the bottle of wine and then go for our walk. After we’ve been walking around for a little while I lean closer to him and gently bite his neck before saying:  
“Let’s go back to the hotel.”  
“Gladly.”


	10. Ten

When we get back into the room, the prepaid phone is ringing. I look at him and say:  
“You left it on?”  
“They can’t trace it, and I didn’t expect them to call back.”  
I pick up the phone and answer it:  
“Hello?”  
A voice I don’t recognize says:  
“You must be Beth.”  
“Who is this?”  
“It’s Jax. Bring him home, Beth. Bring him home and I promise we won’t kill him or you.”  
“I don’t believe you.”  
“He’s my brother. I don’t want to kill him.”  
“We’re not coming back. You must be out of your goddamned mind.”  
“If I have to hunt you down I will, and I promise, you won’t enjoy what happens when I find you. Bring him home so I don’t have to hurt either of you.”  
Suddenly Juice grabs the phone from me and says:  
“We’re not coming home. I’m sorry about Tara. I just wanted to protect Gemma.”  
He hangs up and turns the phone off before throwing it across the room. He looks at me and says:  
“We should go.”  
“No, love. We’re going to sleep. We’ll leave early tomorrow morning. Stick to small towns with no airports from now on, just to be safe.”  
“We should leave now.”  
“We’ve both been drinking. We’re not going anywhere right now.”  
“I can drive.”  
“Juice. We’re not going anywhere right now. We’ll get some sleep and leave first thing in the morning. End of discussion.”

He takes a deep breath and shakes his head slightly before reaching for me and wrapping his arms around my waist.  
“Nagging wife already, huh?”  
“Yeah, well…Clearly you need someone to take care of you.”  
“You have absolutely no idea how true that is, love.”  
“Come on, let’s shower and go to bed.”  
He nods and says:  
“Yeah. Okay.”

We go shower and when we come back out, he climbs into bed and I take out clothes for us in the morning and repack the bags so we’re ready to go before climbing in next to him. He wraps his arms around me and we both fall asleep quickly.

When I wake up it’s still dark outside. I quietly get up and get dressed before waking Juice up.  
“Get dressed. We should head out.”  
He gets up and gets dressed then we leave the room and check out before getting in the car. 

As I start the car I say:  
“I think Key West is 15 hours from here. Should we try to drive straight through and not stop for another night?”  
“Yeah. That’s a good plan.”

I drive for six hours while he sleeps on and off and then we stop for gas and food. When we get back in the car he hands me his hoodie and takes over driving as I curl up in the passenger seat. I fall asleep fairly quickly and when I wake up we are further than we should be.  
“Did you stop already?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Why didn’t you wake me up? You must be tired.”  
“I didn’t want to disturb you.”  
“Well, stop at the next rest area and I’ll take over.”  
“Okay.”  
A few minutes later he stops and we both get out to stretch our legs and use the washroom before I take over driving.

I drive for a couple of hours and then we’re in Key West. We find a cheap motel near one of the marinas and check-in. Once we’re in the room he says:  
“I’ll go find some dinner.”  
“While you’re out, see if you can get a map of the Florida Straits. We need to figure out our route to Cuba.”  
“Will do. Don’t call Althea.”  
“I won’t.”  
As he leaves I lay down on the bed, intending on just resting while he’s gone, but the next thing I know he’s leaning over me saying:  
“Wake up, Beth. Eat some dinner.”  
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I’m sorry.”  
“For what, babe? It’s been a long few days. Of course you’re tired.”  
I kiss him and then sit up so we can eat. While we’re eating he says:  
“I got a map, we can look at it in the morning.”  
“Great. Yeah, I’d like to just go to bed after we eat.”  
“Me too. We’ll figure everything else out in the morning.”

We finish eating and then I go to get ready for bed. By the time I walk out of the bathroom he’s got the dinner garbage cleaned up and the blankets pulled back on the bed. He kisses my cheek on his way past me to the bathroom so he can get ready for bed and I climb into bed and lie down. When he comes back out he turns off the lights and climbs into bed, curling around me as he pulls the blankets over us.  
“Should we stay at one of the resorts until we find a place to live?”  
“Those places aren’t cheap, Juice. I think we’re better off finding a temporary apartment or something.”  
“Okay. But first, we have to get there.”  
“We’ll figure it out in the morning. Go to sleep, Juan Carlos.”  
He grins and kisses my forehead before saying:  
“Yeah, okay. Goodnight, Beth.”


	11. Eleven

When I wake up in the morning Juice is sitting next to me in bed looking at a map.  
“You’re up early.”  
“No, you slept in.”  
“You should have woken me up.”  
“It’s fine, Beth. I went out and got breakfast. It’s on the dresser.”  
I sit up and pull him towards me before kissing him and saying:  
“Thank you.”  
I get up and get dressed before grabbing the breakfast off the dresser and sitting back down next to him.

We start eating and he says:  
“While I was out I was talking to a couple of fishermen and they mentioned that they are leaving for Havana tomorrow morning. Apparently, some boats have special permits to dock in Cuba.”  
“Can we get a ride with them?”  
“Apparently we have to talk to the captain. They told me where to find him this afternoon.”  
“You had a very efficient morning.”  
“Yeah. I was thinking, we should split the Canadian money up and hide it in with our clothes. Having a bag full of money is probably not the best idea while on a boat with a bunch of strangers.”  
“Good idea. How much American money do we have left?”  
“I’m not sure how much we even started with, Althea brought more than what I had at the pot store.”  
“Well then, I guess we should take a look.”  
He puts down his breakfast and map and stands up.  
“We can look after we finish breakfast, Juice.”  
“It’s fine. I’m not really hungry.”

As he picks up the duffel bag he winces.  
“How is your shoulder, Juice?”  
“It seemed fine, but now it hurts.”  
I get up and walk over to him, lifting up the back of his shirt when I get there.  
“You tore the stitches. Put down the bag, sit down on the bed, I’ll fix it.”  
“I’m sorry.”  
“Don’t apologize to me, baby. I’m not the one who gets new stitches without any freezing.”  
“Well shit.”  
He takes off his shirt and sits down as I grab my work bag and put it on the bed next to him. I go to wash my hands and then come back and remove the torn stitches before cleaning the wound and quickly putting in a couple of replacement stitches.   
“Try to be more careful this time.”  
“Yes, ma’am.”  
I turn to walk away and he reaches back with his good arm and grabs me, pulling me around him so I end up on his lap.  
“What’s your plan here buddy?”  
“I’m hurt, you should comfort me.”  
“Oh, I should, should I?”  
“That’s a girlfriend’s job, right?”  
I laugh and kiss him before saying:  
“Let me up or your shoulder won’t be the only body part that hurts.”  
“You’re so mean to me.”  
“Sure. Yup, that’s me.”  
I kiss him again as he lets me go and then I stand up and grab the duffel bag with the money in it. 

After counting all the money we find we have $40,000 American and $80,000 Canadian.  
“Obviously Althea brought us more American and Canadian.”  
“Yeah. I’ll have to thank her when I can call her again.”  
“We should go see the captain.”  
“Let’s just quickly divide up the Canadian money. I have an idea.”

We empty the bags holding our clothes and I quickly open the inner seams. We fill the linings with cash, making sure that everything is even and when we close the lining nothing can shift. I carefully sew the seams back up and we repack the bags. When we’re done we just have the American money out, so we put part of it in my purse and the rest in Juice’s backpack.

After we’re finished we leave the hotel room to find the captain. As we step into the parking lot I say:  
“So where are we going?”  
“There’s a bar at the marina. Apparently, that’s where he’ll be all afternoon.”  
“Is it within walking distance?”  
“Yup.”  
“Good.”  
I wrap my arm around his waist and press my body close to his as he grins and wraps his arm around my shoulders. 

When we get to the bar he looks around and says:  
“The guys I was talking to earlier are over there.”  
I take his hand in mine and interlace our fingers.  
“Lead the way, babe.”  
We walk across the bar towards the fishermen and when they see us they all greet him enthusiastically:  
“Juan!”  
I look at him and he shrugs before quietly saying:  
“I thought it would be best if they don’t know me as Juice.”  
“You’re probably right.”  
“I’m going to refer to you as Elizabeth.”  
“Can you handle calling me Maggie? It’s a further leap from Beth.”  
“Yeah. I can do that.”  
“Good. Let’s go talk to them then, Juan.”

We walk over to their table and Juice says:  
“This is my girlfriend, Maggie. Maggie, this is Tyler, William, and Blake.”  
The one he introduced as William says:  
“You can call me Billy, love. Juan didn’t tell us his girlfriend was such a looker.”  
I grin and say:  
“Well, Billy, Juan didn’t tell me that the fishermen he met earlier were such charmers.”  
Blake laughs and says:  
“Juan, I like her.”  
Before anyone can say anything, a man walks up to the table. He looks at me and says:  
“Jesus. You look just like your mother.”  
I look at him and press closer to Juice. The man notices and says:  
“Holy hell, Lizzie. I ain’t gonna hurt ya.”  
“It’s Maggie.”  
“Your mother refused to call you Margaret. What changed?”  
“She stopped getting a say when she died when I was ten.”  
He steps closer to me and says:  
“I didn’t know. Did you stay with relatives?”  
“No. I went into the system. Are you the captain of the fishing boat?”  
“Yeah. I am. You’re the ones that need a ride to Havana?”  
“Yeah, Dad. We are.”

He steps closer to me again, so he’s right in front of me and quietly says:  
“Who are you running from?”  
I look at Juice and he nods and squeezes my hand so I whisper:  
“The Sons of Anarchy.”  
Dad just nods and says:  
“I thought I recognized the reaper tattoo. We leave at 4 am. Slip 15. If I have to smuggle you past the inspectors, we’ll need to pay off my guy in Havana.”  
“How much?”  
“$10,000.”  
“Total or each?”  
“Total.”  
“Not a problem.”  
He looks at Juice and says:  
“Can I talk to my daughter privately, please?”  
Juice says:  
“Babe?”  
I nod and say:  
“I’m okay.”

Juice walks over to the table where the other guys are sitting and Dad takes my arm and leads me to a table in the corner.   
“Your sister is a cop. How did you get involved with the Sons of Anarchy?”  
“In my defence, Althea is sleeping with a Son too.”  
He shakes his head and says:  
“How did you get involved with them?”  
“Juan got shot. He showed up at my house. I kind of just got swept up.”  
“Why don’t you let him go to Cuba alone?”  
I look over at Juice and shrug before saying:  
“Somewhere between him showing up at my house bleeding and now I fell in love with him.”  
“Are they looking for you?”  
“Yeah.”  
“They won’t find you because of me.”  
“Thank you. 4 am?”  
“Yes…Maggie?”  
“Yeah?”  
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I’m sorry I let her take you without a fight.”


	12. Twelve

“From what I heard, you didn’t let her do anything without a fight.”  
He shakes his head and says:  
“She told you I beat her?”  
“Yeah.”  
“I never touched her. She took you because I wanted a divorce and I threatened to take you since she was a whore.”  
“She was an escort…So you threatened to take me away from her and then she took me and ran?”  
“Yes. I never would have hurt her…or you.”  
“Why did you marry her in the first place?”  
“She got pregnant with you.”  
“But she was an escort. You didn’t know I was yours.”  
“You’re right. But she needed…no, you needed someone to look after you.”  
“You still don’t know for sure that I’m yours, do you? I don’t look anything like Althea.”  
“You are the spitting image of your mom, kiddo. No. I don’t know if you are biologically mine. You feel like mine though. Could that be enough?”  
“Yeah. Yeah, it can.”  
“Good. What are your plans in Havana?”  
“Find an apartment…get jobs.”  
“I have an apartment. I bought it for a girlfriend ages ago, she moved out a few years ago. I’ve been renting it as a vacation rental since. It’s fully furnished. The two of you can live there.”  
“Are you sure? We can pay rent.”  
“You are my daughter. You are not paying to live in a home I own. All I ask is that you let me stay there occasionally when I’m in Havana overnight.”  
“Deal.”  
“What were you planning on doing for work?”  
“Well, I was a paramedic, so I was thinking maybe I could get a job as a resort medic.”  
“The larger resorts are all outside of Havana proper. I have a friend with Havana’s emergency services though, I could talk to him, see if he needs any paramedics.”  
“I’ll be in the country illegally.”  
“You’ll find that matters little to the people of Cuba, dear. Visually you’ll fit in just fine. So will Juan. I assume you both speak Spanish?”  
“I do. He’s learning.”  
“Okay. I’ll talk to my friend. What is Juan going to do?”  
“We don’t know. He’s only ever been a criminal. He might take some time before he looks for a job.”  
“I’m not sure how I feel about you being in love with a criminal.”  
“He’s sweet, Dad.”  
“He’s in a motorcycle gang.”  
“He was, yeah. But he’s sweet and kind. He doesn’t like to be alone, there’s a…sadness in him. His favourite movie is When Harry Met Sally…He’s not exactly a typical gang member.”  
“And you aren’t afraid he’ll hurt you?”  
“No. Not at all.”  
“Well then, I guess I will give him a chance.”  
“Thank you.”

We both get up from the table and walk over to where Juice and the other guys are sitting. When we get there I reach around Juice and take his glass out of his hand, quickly finishing his beer while he and the guys argue about football. He shakes his head at me and says:  
“Bad girl. You are not old enough to drink.”  
“Says the man who ordered a bottle of wine with dinner the other night. I think you’re just bothered because you wanted to finish that.”  
“True. Should we go back to the hotel and pack for tomorrow?”  
“Yeah.”  
We say goodbye to the guys and walk out of the bar. As we’re walking back to the motel I wrap my arm around his waist and tuck myself against his side before saying:  
“We’re already packed, Juice.”  
“Yeah, I know. I just thought you might want to take some time away from your newfound dad.”  
“Smart man.”  
“Let’s stop and pick up some food to take back to the room so we don’t have to go out again tonight.”  
“Something cold.”  
“Because you’re very warm, or because you have plans for before we eat?”  
I tilt my head up and bite his jaw before saying:  
“Plans. Definitely plans.”  
He smirks and says:  
“I enjoy your plans.”  
“I enjoy you.”  
“Well, that sounded dirty.”  
“That’s exactly how it was meant.”  
We stop at a restaurant and pick up salads for dinner then walk back to the motel. 

When we walk into the room, he puts the food down on the dresser and I close and lock the door. I take my clothes off as I walk across the room towards him and he stares at me as I approach him. When I reach him I pull his shirt off and start undoing his pants as I say:  
“You know, you could have done this while you were staring at me.”  
“I like you taking charge.”  
“Well, don’t get used to it right now, my plans definitely include you being in charge and taking me in a manly fashion.”  
He laughs and says:  
“A manly fashion, huh?”  
I finish taking off his pants and say:  
“Juice…fuck me.”  
“So crude, Beth.”  
“Juice.”  
He smirks and picks me up, holding me up mostly with his good arm while I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

By the time we’re done, we’re collapsed in a sweaty pile in bed and it feels like I have no bones. I sigh and he says:  
“So was that manly enough for you?”  
I weakly move my hand to pat his thigh.  
“You did good, Juice.”  
“I love you.”  
“Yeah, I love you too, Juice.”


	13. Thirteen

By 3 am we’re checked out of the motel and are walking to the marina. We left the car in a parking lot near the motel after quickly hot-wiring it to make it look stolen and wiping down all the surfaces to avoid the police tying it to Juice.

When we get to the marina we head to slip 15. The guys are already there, loading the boat for their week of fishing. Billy spots us first and says:  
“Boss! Juan and Maggie are here.”  
He steps onto the dock and takes the bags I’m carrying before saying:  
“Come on. I’ll get you settled in the captain’s cabin. It’s only a four hour trip to Havana but you may as well be comfortable.”  
“Thanks, Billy.”  
We follow him onto the boat and through a door into a hallway. At the end of the hallway, we walk through another door into a room with a couple of chairs and a small bed. The bags get put down on the bed and I sit in one of the chairs, looking out the small window.

About 20 minutes after we get underway, Dad comes into the room and says:  
“It’s about 4 hours until we get to Havana. Here, the address and keys to the apartment.”  
He hands me a keyring with three keys on it and a piece of paper.   
“It’s across town from the port, but there are always taxis around when we dock, so you shouldn’t have an issue. You guys get settled and I’ll come by in a few days to introduce you to my friend with emergency services.”  
“Thanks, Dad. Here, the money for the customs guy.”  
I open my purse and hand him $10,000.   
“Thanks, kid. Do either of you get seasick?”  
Juice shrugs and says:  
“I never had an issue on the ferry.”  
“I don’t know. I’ve never been on a boat before.”  
Juice looks at me and says:  
“How have you never been on a boat before?”  
“Uh…my mom was an escort, then I was in foster care, then I was a runaway trying to survive…when exactly would I have been on a boat?”  
“I suppose that’s a good question.”  
Dad laughs and says:  
“Well, if you do start to feel nauseous, come up on deck. The fresh air will help.”  
“Okay. Thanks.”

He leaves and Juice and I curl up next to each other on the bed.  
“Do you trust him?”  
“I don’t know, Juice. But he’s the best option we have right now.”  
“So we, what? Live in his apartment and hope he doesn’t sell us out?”  
“Maybe we only stay in Havana for a while. Get used to Cuba then move.”  
“And go where? Do what?”  
“We’ll figure it out.”  
“Beth, you’re very easy-going about this.”  
“Juice, what else am I supposed to do? All we can do right now is hope that we get to Havana safely.”  
“Yeah. You’re right. Sorry, I just don’t do well with unknowns.”  
“We’ll be fine, babe. Just breathe.”

Thankfully we both make it through the trip without getting seasick. As we pull into the port, Blake walks into the room and says:  
“We have to deal with the customs inspector. Stay here until I come back, okay?”  
I make eye contact with him, searching for any signs of dishonesty.  
“It’s okay, Maggie. We won’t let anything happen to you.”  
“Okay. Thank you, Blake.”  
About an hour later, Blake walks back into the room.   
“The customs guy is gone. You’re free to go.”  
“Thanks, Blake.”

We pick up the bags and make our way up to the deck of the boat. There’s no-one on the deck when we get up there and Blake says:  
“The guys are all headed into town for a bit. I’ll walk you over to where the taxis are.”  
“Thanks, Blake.”  
As we’re walking he says:  
“Maggie…I don’t know if you should trust the captain. I know he’s your dad, but he’s never done anything out of the goodness of his heart for anyone before.”  
“What do you suggest?”  
“I have a friend. He’s got a farm just outside of Harlem. You can take a bus there. It’s a self-sufficient compound. Actually, he’s on the run from a biker gang in California too.”  
“How did you?”  
“How did I know? I recognized the reaper. You’re running from the Sons, right?”

I look at Juice and he nods, so I say:  
“Yeah.”  
“My friend is hiding from the Mayans.”  
Juice says:  
“Who is your friend?”  
“Jesse Murphy.”  
“He was one of Esai’s guys…Did he run when Marcus let us kill Esai?”  
“Yeah.”  
“So he’s been gone for years then.”  
“Yeah. He’ll take you in as long as you can pull your weight at the compound.”

Juice and I look at each other and then look at Blake. I nod and Juice says:  
“Guess you’d better tell us how to get there.”  
Blake gives us directions to the bus station and tells us to take the bus to Harlem but to get off the stop before city centre.   
“The compound is about a mile east of there. You’ll have to walk. There’s a sign at the end of the driveway. It’s called Granja de la Libertad.” (Liberty Farm.)  
“Thanks, Blake.”

Once we’re in a cab without Blake I say:  
“Where are we going, babe?”  
“The bus station.”  
“Okay.”  
I tell the driver where to take us and we look out the window as we drive through Havana. When we get to the bus station I pay the cab driver and then go buy tickets to Harlem.

A little over two hours later we’re getting off the bus and starting to walk East. When we get to the driveway I reach for his hand, interlacing our fingers as we walk into the compound. From the trees on on side of the driveway I hear a gruff voice loudly say:  
“¿Quien diablos eres tú?” (Who the hell are you?)  
“Are you Jesse? Blake sent us.”  
A short, bald man with lots of tattoos walks out of the trees and looks at us, glaring a little as he looks at Juice before saying:  
“Holy shit. Juice?”  
“Hey, Jesse.”  
“Why the hell are you in Cuba, man?”  
“Running from SAMCRO. They want me dead.”  
“Well, welcome to my humble abode. Who is this?”  
“My girlfriend, Beth.”  
“You convinced her to run with you?”  
“We met after Jax decided he wanted me dead. I dragged her into things without really meaning to. She could have handed me over to them but she didn’t. She decided to uproot her whole life instead.”  
“That’s a good woman. Don’t screw it up.”  
“I’m trying my hardest not to.”

I roll my eyes and say:  
“Blake said you might have room for us.”  
“Yeah. I have an extra house. It’s not much, but it has running water and electricity. We’re pretty much off the grid here, all about self-sufficiency, so you’ll have to contribute. I know Juice is a good shot, so I’ll put him on security and hunting, but what about you, love?”  
“I was a paramedic. I also have lots of experience making clothes and cleaning. I can figure out almost anything though.”  
“A paramedic? That’s useful. My medical skills are subpar.”  
“Great.”  
“And we all help with the gardens, making sure we have enough food and such.”  
“Seems reasonable.”  
“Come on, I’ll show you your house. Give me the bags you’re carrying, Beth. You look like you’re about to fall over.”  
I hand him the bags and say:  
“I’m quite tired, yes.”  
“Well, the chores are done for the day, so the two of you should have a nap then I’ll give you the grand tour before dinner.”  
“That sounds good. Thanks, Jesse.”

He leads us to a small cottage and opens the front door. It’s all one room, with only the bathroom being separated by a door. When we walk in there’s a small kitchen to the right and a cozy living room area to the left. The bedroom is at the back of the cottage past a double-sided fireplace.  
“A fireplace?”  
“It can get cold at night. Trust me, you’ll be happy you have it.”  
“I’ll take your word for it.”  
“There’s clean bedding in the closet there.”  
“Thanks, Jesse.”  
“No problem. Oh, and the tap water is excellent, so don’t worry about drinking it.”

I smile at him and he turns to leave. When he gets to the door he says:  
“Will they come after you?”  
Juice says:  
“I don’t expect them to figure out we came to Cuba. Last I heard they were going to start looking in Mexico. Even if they do figure out we came to Cuba, they’d assume we went to one of the larger cities.”  
“Fair enough. Well, make yourselves at home, I’ll come to get you in a couple of hours.”

He leaves and Juice puts down the bags he’s holding and helps me make the bed before we both collapse onto it. I curl into him, resting my head on his chest and yawning before saying:  
“Do you think we’ll be safe here?”  
“I think so. Jesse and Esai were friends of mine before the Mayans and Sons went to war. I think if he had stuck around we would have been friends again once we had a treaty in place.”  
“I hope you’re right.”  
“Go to sleep, Beth.”  
“Yeah. Okay.”


	14. Fourteen

Five months after we arrive we’ve settled into a routine of early morning breakfast with the whole compound, chores, lunch at home, shifts at work, dinner with everyone, and evenings snuggled on the couch reading together before bed. One evening he passes me the prepaid phone and says:  
“Call your sister.”  
“You think it’s safe?”  
“I think you want to talk to your sister and it’s as safe as it’ll ever be. Go ahead, babe. Call her.”

I snuggle against him on the couch and dial Althea’s number.  
“Althea Jarry”  
“Hi, Al.”  
“Bethie! Oh my god, Beth. I didn’t hear from you for so long…I was so scared I had lost you.”  
“I’m sorry. We just wanted to get settled and give Jax some time to cool off before we called.”  
“Lots has happened since you left. Can you put us on speaker please?”  
“Yeah.”  
I put the phone on speaker and say:  
“Okay. What did we miss?”  
Chibs’ voice comes on the line and he says:  
“Bobby’s dead. Gemma’s dead. Unser’s dead. But most importantly Juicy-Boy, Jax is dead. I’m president now. Tig is vice-president. The table voted, and your kill order has been lifted as has your expulsion from the club. Come home.”  
Juice looks like he’s having trouble breathing, so I say:  
“How? How did they die?”  
“Club enemies killed Bobby, Jax killed Gemma and Unser, Jax killed himself.”  
“Jesus Christ.”  
“Come home, Beth.”  
“We need to talk about this. We’ll call back, okay?”  
“Yeah. This is real, Juan Carlos. Come home.”  
Juice says:  
“We’ll call back.”  
Then he takes the phone from me and hangs up.

I turn to face him and put my hand on his cheek.  
“Talk to me, baby.”  
“I don’t want to go back.”  
“Okay.”  
“Just that easy?”  
“I love it here. It’s peaceful and everyone here is great. I love that I don’t really have to worry about you when we’re separated during the day.”  
“What about Althea?”  
“I love my sister and I miss her, but I’ve only known her a couple of years longer than you. I’m happy here and I love you. If you want to stay, we stay.”  
“You don’t want to go back to your life?”  
I shift in my seat so I’m straddling him and put my other hand on his cheek before saying:  
“You’re doing that thing where you question how much I love you. Stop it. I have no interest in going back to California if you are going to be unhappy there or even worse, going back by myself. I chose you. I made you my life. I don’t regret that choice. I love you.”  
He tangles his hand in my hair and kisses me before saying:  
“I love you, Beth.”  
“We should call Althea and Chibs back.”  
“Yeah. Okay.”  
He dials the phone and puts it on speaker.  
“Beth?”  
“We’re both here, Althea.”  
“When are you coming home?”  
“We’re not.”  
“Juice. I want my sister to come home.”  
Juice opens his mouth but I hold up a finger and say:  
“Althea, we like it here. We’re comfortable and it’s safe. We’re staying.”  
“Beth, it’s a third-world country.”  
“Althea, in California Juice is part of a club that runs guns and kills people. His president tried to kill him. Here he redirects passersby and tends to a garden. We’re safe here…We’re happy here.”  
“Are you at least going to call?”  
“Every so often. We’re not big on technology here.”  
“At least promise you’ll call with any big updates. I don’t want to be the last to find out my baby sister got married or had a kid. Deal?”  
“Deal. I love you, Al.”  
“I love you, Bethie. Juice, take care of my sister.”  
Juice smirks at me and says:  
“Yes, ma’am.”  
Before hanging up the phone and standing up with me in his arms.  
“What’s your plan here, buddy?”  
“Althea told me to take care of you. I intend to do just that.”

Two months later, Blake shows up for the first time. When he walks into my medical room he leans against the wall and watches me work until the woman I’m stitching up is done and leaves.  
“Well, well, Maggie. Look at you. You fit right in.”  
“It’s actually Beth. When we first met you all we weren’t sure we could trust you.”  
“So your real name is?”  
“Elizabeth Margaret. So technically both Maggie and Beth could be my nickname, but I go by Beth.”  
“Well, I guess it’s nice to officially meet you, Beth.”  
“So what are you doing here, Blake?”  
“Just checking in on you. The captain sent bounty hunters to the apartment to collect you for the Sons. He was pissed when you weren’t there.”  
“Thank you for that.”  
“No problem. He’s not the captain anymore, so you need anything, you call me.”   
“Are you the captain now?”  
“Yeah. I am.”  
Blake stays at the compound for a week and then heads back to Havana.

The next time Blake shows up it’s two years later and we’re under a hurricane warning.


	15. Fifteen

When Blake and Jesse walk into the medical centre I’m in the middle of delivering a baby for one of the women in the compound while my year-old son plays in his playpen in the corner. Jesse immediately walks over there and picks him up saying:  
“Why are you here with Mommy and not outside with Daddy, little man?”  
I shake my head as I hand the woman her baby and say:  
“Because it’s raining outside, Uncle Jesse.”  
“He’s an Ortiz. He can handle a little rain.”  
“He’s one, Jesse. Is there something y’all wanted?”  
“Blake’s gonna hide out with us while the hurricane passes. Can he stay with you and Juice?”  
“Of course.”  
“Finish up here as quickly as possible, cariño. It’s going to get bad out there and your cabin is more secure than this building. I don’t want you caught in the storm.”  
“We’re almost done here. Can you and Blake take her and the baby home?”  
“Yes.”  
“Thank you.”

I finish the stitches I’m doing and wrap the new mother and baby in blankets as I say:  
“Normalmente te mantendría aquí mientras te recuperas, pero estás más seguro en casa. Solo mantén la calma y trata de no moverte demasiado. Jesse te cargará y Blake llevará al bebé, ¿de acuerdo?” (Normally I would keep you here while you recover, but you're safer at home. Just stay calm and try not to move too much. Jesse will carry you and Blake will carry the baby, okay?)  
“Si doctora.” (Yes doctor.)

I wash my hands and take my son from Jesse.  
“Be careful with her. Bring Blake to my house once you’ve got her home.”  
“Yup.”  
I watch as they carefully pick up the woman and her baby, carrying her out of the building, then I collect a bag full of medical supplies and medications in case this building collapses in the hurricane. Once I have all of that together, I put a poncho over my son and me and quickly make my way home. 

When we get home Juice is already there. He helps me take off the poncho and takes the baby from me, saying:  
“Well, Jackson, did you have fun with Mommy?”  
Jackson babbles at him and Juice acts like he’s very seriously listening to the tale the little one is weaving, nodding and making small noises every so often. I shake my head at them, smiling fondly as I put the bag of medical supplies on the kitchen counter and start shuttering the windows. I’m halfway done when Blake shows up. He helps me to finish shuttering all the windows then says:  
“What else can I do?”  
“Nothing right now. All we can do is hope the storm misses us and if it doesn’t…that we don’t lose any of the buildings.”  
“Is there a storm cellar?”  
“Yeah. The entrance is in the bathroom.”  
Juice walks over to us and says:  
“Everything important is already down there, except that medical bag.”  
“Do you want me to take it down?”  
I nod and say:  
“Sure, Blake. Thanks.”

As Blake leaves the room, Juice tangles his hand in the hair at the back of my head and presses his forehead against mine.  
“What are you thinking, Bethie?”  
“It’s not going to miss us, Juice. I was listening to the radio. It’s going to hit us. It’s not turning. It’s a category five and it’s bearing down on us. They said this hurricane season was going to be bad…Baby, we should have left.”  
“You have to think positively, Elizabeth. Everything’s going to be fine.”  
“No, it’s not! If we are lucky we will survive this, but most of the people here won’t. These houses were not built to outlast a direct hit from a category five hurricane.”  
“So what do we do, Beth? There isn’t enough room in our storm cellar for everyone. We can fit maybe one more person.”

I start crying and say:  
“I don’t know! But these people…they are our family. Juice, they took us in. They gave us a home. We can’t just leave them out there to die.”  
“There is nothing we can do, Beth. We have to protect ourselves and Jackson. We can’t go out there. We can’t risk bringing more people into the storm cellar.”  
“Juice…we need to go home. If we make it through this…We need to go back to California.”  
“Beth, we talked about this. We like it here. We didn’t want to go back to California. What changed?”  
“They’re saying the hurricane seasons are just going to get worse. We can’t raise kids like this, Juice.”  
“Okay. We’ll go back to California, but you need to relax.”  
“Fine. I’ll try.”

Two hours later we’re all sitting on the couch eating sandwiches when the storm really hits and the house starts shaking.


	16. Sixteen

We’ve been in the storm cellar for about an hour when there’s a large bang from upstairs. Jackson starts crying and I pace back and forth in the small room with him in my arms, talking quietly:  
“Everything’s okay, little boy. Just breathe. We’re going to be just fine. When all this is over, we’re going to go home and you will get to meet your Aunty Althea.”

Jackson just keeps crying as I walk and I can’t calm him down. I feel myself getting more upset as I try and it must show on my face because Juice walks over to me and runs his hand down my back before taking Jackson from me.  
“He’s not going to calm down when you aren’t calm, Beth. Let me try.”  
“How are you so calm right now?”  
“There’s nothing I can do about the storm and you and Jackson need me to be calm. Just sit down and breathe, baby.”

As I sit down there’s another loud bang from upstairs followed by a loud crashing sound. I whimper and Blake wraps his arm around me, pulling me close to himself before whispering:  
“You need to stay calm Beth. Jackson’s picking up on all of your emotions, and Juice can’t take care of you both right now.”  
“I just want to be home, Blake.”  
“I will get you home as soon as I can after this storm, Beth, but you need to stay calm. For you, for Juice, for Jackson, and for that little one you haven’t told Juice about yet.”  
“How did you know?”  
“When you were freaking out earlier you said ‘we can’t raise kids like this'. I don’t think Juice caught it.”  
“I hope not. I don’t want him worrying.”  
“Sweetheart, he always worries about you.”  
“I just don’t want to give him more to worry about.”  
“Yeah. I get that.”

We’re in the storm cellar for another two hours before everything gets quiet upstairs. When I move towards the door, Blake grabs my arm and pulls me back saying:  
“It’s the eye of the storm. We’re not done yet, sweetheart.”  
“It’s so quiet. Are you sure?”  
“It’s always calm in the eye of the storm, Beth. It’s not safe out there yet.”  
“Blake, it’s been hours.”  
“And it’ll be more hours. Sit tight.”  
“I’m going crazy down here, Blake.”  
“Better than dying up there. Sit down. We’ll play cards or something.”  
“I don’t want to play cards.”  
“Well, sit down anyway. Difficult woman.”  
I sigh heavily and sit down next to Juice, resting my head on his shoulder as I gently run my fingers over Jackson’s head, playing with his soft dark curls.

As we’re sitting there, I hear yelling and the sounds of objects being moved coming from upstairs. I sit up and say:  
“What is that?”  
Juice hands Jackson to me and says:  
“Jesse. It’s Jesse.”  
He makes his way over to the door and opens it, allowing Jesse to stumble in. Juice steadies him and then closes the door again before leading Jesse over to me and taking Jackson back.

I stand up and let Jesse sit down before I look at the wound on his head.  
“What happened, Jesse?”  
“Roof collapsed.”  
“Any other injuries?”  
“My ribs and my side.”  
“I need to take your shirt off so I can look.”  
“I’ve been waiting for you to want to take my clothes off for two years.”  
I roll my eyes at him as I gently take his shirt off and I softly gasp when I see the piece of roofing board impaled in his side.  
“Blake, clear off the table and help me get Jesse up there.”

Blake quickly clears off the table then we move Jesse so he’s lying on it. Blake hands me my bag and I quickly sanitize my hands before giving Jesse a couple of freezing shots.  
“This is going to hurt, Jesse, but I have to get the board out and close the wound.”  
“Do what you gotta do, Beth.”  
I carefully pull the board out, checking for any splinters left behind before cleaning the wound. Once I’m sure I’ve got it cleaned out I stitch it up before giving him a shot of antibiotics. After I’m done with his side I quickly stitch up the wound on his head.  
“It looks like a couple of your ribs are broken. Just lie here. Try not to move too much, okay?”  
“Yeah. Okay.”

As I’m cleaning up the storm starts again, causing more loud bangs from upstairs as things fall over. I sigh as I cover Jesse with a blanket and grab puréed mango from the food stores. I open it and grab a spoon before saying:  
“You need to eat, Jesse. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”  
“You just told me not to move.”  
“Yeah. I’m going to feed you. Cooperate, okay?”  
He nods and opens his mouth, allowing me to feed him small spoonfuls of food. When about half the jar is gone he says:  
“No more. There’s only so much puréed mango a man can eat.”  
“Fair enough.”  
I go to put the jar down and Jackson reaches for it and squeals loudly. I laugh and sit down next to Juice before starting to feed Jackson. 

Three hours later, Jackson is sleeping in his playpen, Jesse is sleeping on the table, and the rest of us are dozing in chairs when suddenly all the noises from upstairs stop. I sit up and look at Blake.  
“Yeah. I think it’s over. I’m going to go look, okay? Stay here. Both of you.”  
Juice and I both nod and Blake leaves the storm cellar. 

He comes back 20 minutes later with the newborn baby girl in his arms. She has blood on her, so I rush over and take her out of his arms, carefully checking her for injuries. I don’t find any and I say:  
“Where is her mother?”  
Blake doesn’t answer me, so I repeat myself:  
“Blake! Where is her mother?”  
“She’s dead. This one was the only one I found alive. Her mother’s body was shielding her. Their house collapsed.”  
“There was no-one else?”  
“No. We need to get out of here, Beth.”  
“Yeah. Okay.”

I hold the baby against my chest and gently shake Jesse awake.  
“We need to go. How do you feel?”  
“Fine. I feel fine.”  
He sits up and slowly puts his shirt on before getting off the table as Juice stands up and gets Jackson out of his playpen. 

We carefully make our way out of the storm cellar and through the destroyed house. When we get outside I gasp and start crying when I see the damage.   
“Keep moving, Beth. We need to get back to the boat in Havana.”  
“What if the boat is gone?”  
“Then we steal one. We’re getting off this island. Let’s go.”


	17. Seventeen

As Blake starts moving towards the driveway I say:  
“I want to check for survivors.”  
He turns around and rolls his eyes before saying:  
“Beth. I already did. There’s no-one. Please trust me.”  
“I do, Blake, but I need to see for myself.”  
Blake looks at Juice and Juice sighs before handing me Jackson and saying:  
“You stay here with the babies and Jesse. I’ll go with Blake.”  
“I just said I need to see for myself.”  
“And I said stay here and I will go. We can’t risk you getting hurt, Beth.”  
I shift Jackson so he’s propped up on my hip and say:  
“Fine. Be careful. Please?”  
He winks at me as he backs towards Blake.  
“I’m always careful, love.”  
“You’re so full of shit, Juan Carlos.”

Blake and Juice walk away as Jesse reaches for me and takes the newborn baby out of my arms.  
“Jesse, you’re hurt.”  
“She’s a newborn, Beth. I can handle holding her.”  
“Do you know who her father is? Her mother would never tell me.”  
“Yeah. I do.”  
“Care to share?”  
“It’s me.”  
“So why the big secret?”  
“She didn’t want me involved.”  
“Why?”  
“I don’t know.”  
“Bullshit. Why didn’t she want you involved?”  
“I’m not a good guy, Beth.”  
“You’ve always been good to me. What did you do to her that made her decide you didn’t get to be a father?”  
“Beth…”  
“No, Jesse. You need to tell me.”

He sighs deeply and says:  
“I have a temper.”  
“So I’ve seen.”  
“But I’ve never directed it at you. I got really mad at her one day. Blew up at her.”  
“So? Juice and I yell at each other all the time. I would never use that to keep him out of Jackson’s life.”

He looks down at the baby and quietly says:  
“I hit her. When she told me she was pregnant I got pissed. I lashed out and I punched her in the face. She told me that day that I’d never be in this baby’s life.”  
“Why?”  
“I never wanted to be a father. I’m not a good guy. I’ve done horrible things.”  
“So has Juice. Doesn’t mean he isn’t a great dad.”  
“I’ve done worse.”  
“Have you compared?”  
“No, but Juice was always a sweetheart.”  
“Things might have changed after you left California, Jesse. I’m just saying, doing bad things, even horrible things, doesn’t mean you can’t be a good dad.”  
“I hope you’re right, especially since I’m all she’s got now.”

I step towards him and put my hand on his cheek.  
“That’s not true, Jesse. She has us too. So do you.”  
“I can’t go back to California.”  
“You don’t know that. Have you even tried talking to Alvarez?”  
“No.”  
“You left when he let the Sons kill Esai, right?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Do you know he wanted to kill you? Or did you just run because you thought you were next?”  
“I figured I was next.”  
“So you have no evidence that he wanted you dead, let alone that he still does.”  
“Even if he didn’t want me dead, I abandoned the club.”  
“I think you should talk to him, Jesse.”  
“And if he wants me dead?”  
“Then we figure it out. You can’t just keep hiding because he might be upset.”  
“I guess you’re right.”  
“Of course I am.”  
He just chuckles and softly shakes his head before kissing my forehead and saying:  
“How long are we going to make them dig through the rubble?”  
“As long as it takes to confirm that no-one else made it.”  
“Okay, Beth, okay.”

We wait quietly, occasionally talking to the babies, for the next 45 minutes. When Juice and Blake get back they’re both covered in dirt and they both have blood on them. I approach them and put my hand on Juice’s cheek, taking in the tears in his eyes before saying:  
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”  
“We’re both fine, Beth. Small scrapes, nothing bad. You can look later. Let’s go now, please.”  
“There was no-one?”  
He just shakes his head sadly and takes Jackson from my arms, pressing his lips to the top of Jackson’s head as Blake puts his hand on my lower back and says:  
“Let’s go. We have a long walk ahead of us.”  
“Yeah. Okay.”  
As we start walking towards the road, Blake takes the baby from Jesse.

It takes us four days to walk to Havana. We ration the little bits of food and water we have with us and thanks to the fact that I’m still supplementing Jackson’s food with breastmilk, I’m able to feed the baby. By the time we get to the port in Havana, we’re exhausted, hungry, and dirty. We all breathe a deep sigh of relief when we see that the boat is still there. Blake looks at Jesse and me and then says:  
“Take the kids, wait on the boat. Juice and I will get supplies for the trip.”  
“It’s only four hours to Key West, Blake. We don’t need supplies.”  
“The Keys were hit by the hurricane too. We’re going to go straight to Texas. Take the kids, wait on the boat.”  
“Okay.”  
Jesse and I take the kids and head to the boat. When Juice and Blake get back two hours later they have food, water, diapers, and gas. I look at everything and say:  
“How did you get all that? We have no money.”  
Juice looks at me and blinks.  
“Oh. You stole it. Yeah, okay. That makes sense.”  
We’re on the boat for over five days, but we eventually make it to Corpus Christi, Texas.


	18. Eighteen

Once we’re docked in Corpus Christi, Juice and Jesse leave the boat to find a car for us to get back to California. While they’re gone, Blake and I pack up the remaining supplies and he hands me a stack of cash and a prepaid phone from inside a cabinet.  
“Blake, we can’t take your money.”  
“You’re going to need gas and you didn’t grab yours from the house before we left. Just take it, Beth.”  
I take the money and the phone and shove them in one of the bags of supplies before wrapping my arms around Blake and hugging him tightly.  
“Thank you, Blake…For everything. You’re going to come visit, right?”  
“Of course. I’ll show up when you least expect it, as usual.”  
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”  
I kiss his cheek and let him go as Juice and Jesse walk in. They both hug Blake then we get the babies and the supplies and leave the boat. 

When we get to the parking lot, Juice leads us to a minivan and says:  
“We stole something with carseats.”  
“Makes sense, I suppose.”  
We put the kids in the carseats and get into the car with Juice driving and Jesse in the back with the kids. I hand Jesse the phone that Blake gave me and say:  
“Call Alvarez.”  
“Yeah. Okay.”

Juice starts to drive and I hold his hand, intertwining our fingers as I listen to the sound of Jesse quietly talking on the phone. When he hangs up he says:  
“Marcus says I can’t come back to Oakland but that they are starting a charter further South. He says by the time we get to Charming he’ll have an answer for me about joining that.”  
“And if the answer is no?”  
“He said he’s fine with me staying in Charming as long as I stay unaffiliated.”  
“So no joining SAMCRO?”  
“Yeah.”  
“That’s not so bad, Jesse.”  
“It could definitely be worse, yeah.”

He hands me the phone back and says:  
“You should call Althea and let her know you’re on your way home.”  
I smile at him and settle back in my seat before dialling Althea’s number. Althea sounds really tired when she answers the phone:  
“Althea Jarry.”  
“Al…”  
“Oh my god. Bethie. Hang on. I’m going to put you on speaker.”  
It gets louder as she puts me on speaker and I hear Chibs say:  
“Are you all alright?”  
“For the most part. Jesse is hurt, but Juice, Jackson, and I are okay. We’re in Texas. We’re on our way home.”  
I hear Chibs sigh and Althea says:  
“Blake got you out? We got so worried when we didn’t hear from him after he left to get you.”  
“He got us out after the storm. Thankfully, Juice and Jesse had built a storm cellar under our house. We were safe.”  
“What about everyone else?”  
“There’s no-one else left.”  
“Beth, what do you mean?”  
“The storm directly hit us. The houses collapsed. We were the only ones with a storm cellar, and it wasn’t big enough for extra people.”  
“Oh, Beth…”  
“Are there any charters in Texas, Chibs?”

Chibs clears his throat and says:  
“One. Fairly new. In El Paso. I’ll call them and let them know you’re coming. I’ll text the address to this phone, okay?”  
“Okay. Thanks.”  
“Call us when you leave El Paso, alright?”  
“Yeah. Okay. Bye, Chibs. Bye, Al.”  
I hang up and say:  
“There’s a charter in El Paso we can stay at.”  
Juice nods and says:  
“Excellent.”

We drive for the rest of the day, alternating between chatting and listening to music in between stopping every couple of hours to feed and change the babies. Juice and I each take turns driving and Jesse naps. By the time we finally get to El Paso it’s late and the clubhouse looks dark except for a single light near the door. The woman who answers the door smiles at us and says:  
“You must be Beth, Juice, and Jesse. Come in. I’m Janice, the guys are out on a run.”

She leads us to an apartment on the second floor of the clubhouse and says:  
“Are you hungry? I can make you something.”  
I hand Jackson to Juice and say:  
“I’ll come help you.”  
“Sure.”

We leave the apartment and head downstairs to the clubhouse kitchen.   
“Any preferences?”  
“I’m vegetarian, but I’m so hungry right now I’d probably eat anything.”  
She laughs and says:  
“A few of the guys are vegetarian. I think we have some leftover soup we can reheat.”  
“That would be great. Thank you for this.”  
“No problem. Chibs said you guys were heading home to Charming from Cuba. How long were you gone?”  
“Over two years.”  
“Can I ask why?”  
“Juice ran into some trouble with the last president of SAMCRO. We fled so he wasn’t killed. Chibs had the club vote again after he became president. It’s been safe for us to come home almost the whole time we’ve been gone. We just didn’t want to.”  
“So they held a vote, he was supposed to meet Mr. Mayhem, and then they re-voted? Has that ever happened before?”  
“Not that I know of.”  
“I wonder why it happened this time.”

I shake my head and shrug as I say:  
“Chibs.”  
“He does seem different than the rest, doesn’t he?”  
“I don’t know him very well and I’ve never met any of the others, so I can’t really say.”  
“You didn’t know them before you and Juice ran?”  
“I didn’t even really know Juice before we ran. He showed up at my house after getting shot. I took care of him and then two days later we were leaving Charming.”  
“Why’d you go with him?”

I shrug and say:  
“He doesn’t do well on his own. I couldn’t let him leave by himself. He wouldn’t have survived.”  
“Why did that matter to you?”  
“I felt…drawn to him as soon as I met him. Not attracted, just…drawn to him. Like he just needed someone to…take care of him and I needed to be that someone.”  
“And when did the attraction start?”  
“Before we left.”  
“And now?”  
“He’s the love of my life.”  
“And the other?”  
“Jesse is a runaway Mayan. He took us in.”  
“And Chibs is fine with you bringing him back?”  
I shrug and say:  
“He didn’t seem to have an issue with it.”  
“Chibs is different…Or he just has a soft spot for Juice.”  
“Maybe.”  
“Let’s get this food upstairs, sweetheart. I’m sure you’re all hungry and tired.”  
“You’ve got that right…”

We pick up the soup and bowls before heading back upstairs. When we walk into the apartment we find both guys asleep on the bed with the babies between them. I look at Janice and say:  
“Thank you. For everything. I got this.”  
“Okay. I’ll head home then. I’ll see you in the morning.”  
We put the soup and bowls on the table and she leaves the apartment. I walk over to the bed and sit next to Juice before gently running my fingers down the side of his face.  
“My love…You need to eat.”  
It takes a couple of tries before he opens his eyes, but once he does he smiles at me before saying:  
“You brought dinner?”  
“Soup. You should get some for you and Jackson to share. I’ll eat mine while I feed the little one.”

He gets up and takes Jackson over to the table, serving a bowl of soup for them as I move over closer to Jesse, gently pulling his shirt up to check on his injury. As I run my fingers over his bandage he grabs my hand and says:  
“Touching me while I’m sleeping again, huh? Just can’t get enough?”  
“Yeah. That’s exactly it. Has nothing to do with the barely healing wound on your side.”  
He chuckles and says:  
“Excuses, excuses.”  
“Go eat some dinner, Jesse.”  
“And the baby?”  
“I’ll feed her while I eat.”  
“What am I going to do once we get back to Charming?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“To feed her? What do I do?”  
“You do what every non-breastfeeding parent does. Switch her to formula.”  
“Yeah. Okay.”

He gets up and joins Juice at the table, serving soup for me and himself as I pick up the baby and walk over to join them, sitting down in a chair and starting to feed the baby before eating my first bite of soup.

Once we’re done eating we change the kids’ diapers and put them to bed in the crib that’s set up. Jesse curls up on the couch and I say:  
“You can sleep in the bed, Jesse.”  
“I’m fine on the couch, Beth. It’s actually pretty comfortable.”  
“Okay. But if you change your mind, there’s space.”  
Juice and I curl up in bed and quickly fall asleep.


End file.
